On Friday, federal officials reported that the United States witnessed a substantial 12% surge in homelessness, reaching its highest recorded level. This rise was attributed to the convergence of escalating rents and a reduction in coronavirus pandemic aid, making housing out of reach for a growing number of Americans.

The number of homeless people was approximately 653,000, the highest since the nation began using the annual point-in-time survey in 2007. The total in the January count represents an increase of about 70,650 from a year earlier.

The latest estimate indicates that people becoming homeless for the first time were behind much of the increase. A rise in family homelessness ended a downward trend that began in 2012.

Ann Oliva, chief executive officer at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, stated “For those on the frontlines of this crisis, it’s not surprising.”

According to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, the data highlighted an "urgent need" to support tried-and-true approaches that both shorten the duration of homelessness and prevent it altogether.

Going back to the initial survey in 2007, the United States experienced consistent advancement for approximately a decade in diminishing the homeless population. During this period, the government focused on augmenting investments to facilitate housing for veterans. The count of homeless individuals declined from approximately 637,000 in 2010 to around 554,000 in 2017.

The figures saw an increase, reaching around 580,000 in the 2020 count. Subsequently, these numbers remained relatively stable over the next two years as Congress addressed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic through multiple steps such as emergency rental assistance, stimulus payments, aid to states and local governments, and the implementation of a temporary eviction moratorium.

Jeff Olivet, who serves as the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a federal agency, noted that the additional assistance played a crucial role in "staving off the increase in homelessness that we are currently witnessing." He pointed out that there are various factors contributing to the issue.

“The most significant causes are the shortage of affordable homes and the high cost of housing that have left many Americans living paycheck to paycheck and one crisis away from homelessness,” Olivet said.

Within the overall rise, homelessness among individuals rose by nearly 11%, among veterans by 7.4%, and among families with children by 15.5%.

Citizens identifying as Black constitute approximately 13% of the U.S. population, yet they represent 37% of the total homeless population. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic or Latino make up around 19% of the population but account for approximately 33% of individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it's noteworthy that over a quarter of adults grappling with homelessness are aged 54 and above.

According to HUD, rental housing conditions in 2022 would be "extraordinarily challenging," with rent increases that will be more than twice as high as in previous years. It noted that the trend has subsided since the January count.  When volunteers and housing officials nationwide start the next homeless count in a few weeks, such respite may pay off.

Officials also noted that President Joe Biden’s budget for this fiscal year has recommended guaranteed vouchers for low-income veterans and youths aging out of foster care, among other investments designed to reduce homelessness.

Four states accounted for over half of the nation's homeless population: California, New York, Florida, and Washington. California is thought to be home to 28% of the country's homeless people, yet the state's increase was only roughly half that of the entire country. According to the HUD data, the rate of homelessness in New York increased by more than three times the national average.

New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, and New York experienced the most significant percentage increases in homelessness. Across the board, the number of people facing homelessness rose in 41 states and the District of Columbia, with only nine states reporting a decrease.

Dave Giffen, executive director of The Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, said the cost of rental housing soared after the pandemic.

“So when we saw the pandemic-era protections go away, we did start to see homelessness starting to increase again. We saw more people being evicted, housing instability,” Giffen said. “But then all of that got kind of masked by the sudden, very rapid influx of new asylum seekers, and that is a crisis for which the city and state were more unprepared to deal with.”

With waves of foreign migrants being bused into the city from southern U.S. border states, New York City's homeless shelter system began to overflow in the summer of 2022. The shelters in the city have housed over 150,000 migrants at some point.

Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded with the federal government for assistance in covering the housing costs of migrants, claiming that these expenses may exceed billions of dollars in the coming years. He has criticised the Texas governor for organising the transportation of migrants from one state to New York via bus. Adams, a Democrat, has also requested administrative and legislative reforms that would facilitate the issuance of work permits for immigrants.

Although several towns claimed it had an impact on the rise in homelessness, HUD was unable to get statistics that would have allowed them to isolate the precise effect of immigrants and asylum seekers. To meet the financial requirements of migrants, the Biden administration has awarded grants amounting to more than $1 billion to states and local governments. According to a senior HUD official who is not permitted to publicly discuss the findings, it is also examining possible federal land and buildings that can be made available for shelter and other services for migrants.

HUD also sought to highlight improvements and noted that some communities bucked the national trend. Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding region, for example, saw a 49% drop from the 2022 count to this year’s. Chattanooga increased efforts to more rapidly connect people to permanent housing and boosted efforts to prevent people from becoming homeless.

Other communities that demonstrated a decline in homelessness include Dallas, where there was a 3.8% decrease, and Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, experiencing a significant 16.7% drop. Houston successfully closed numerous homeless encampments citywide, resulting in a notable 17% reduction in unsheltered homelessness. San Jose, California, and Tucson, Arizona, were also recognized for their improvements in addressing homelessness.

Image source: AP