According to an annual report released on December 15 by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of homeless people in the world's largest economy at the beginning of this year increased by 12% compared to a year earlier, equivalent to an increase of about 70,650 people.
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| The rise in America's homeless population is the result of a combination of factors. (Source: WSJ) |
The reason is that the price of housing in the US is becoming more and more expensive, along with high interest rates, causing the number of people who cannot afford to buy/rent a house to jump to a new high.
Specifically, HUD conducted a nationwide survey that looked at the number of individuals living in temporary housing, public shelters, and public and outdoor spaces on a single night in January 2023. The survey results, which used “point-in-time” estimates to calculate the annual snapshot, found that more than 650,000 Americans were homeless, the largest number since the survey began in 2007.
It is worth noting that homelessness across the United States is observed across all demographics, but is most concentrated in communities of color. With a population size of 13% of the nation, more than 37% of blacks in the United States are homeless, of which 50% of homeless people in this community are members of a family with children.
The Asian or Asian American community has a lower rate of homelessness, but recorded the largest increase ever between 2022 and 2023. The report said there were 3,313 more Asian and Asian American homeless people in 2023, a 40% increase from the same period in 2022.
Overall, however, the biggest increase in homelessness was among Hispanics. There were 39,106 more Hispanics homeless this year, 28 percent more than a year earlier.
The survey also found that the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time jumped by 25% from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2022 (October 1 to September 30), while the number of people transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing increased by only 8%.
According to HUD, the increase in the number of homeless people in the US is the result of a combination of factors. These include the significant increase in home prices/rents in recent years. Real estate survey company Redfin statistics, the national median home rental price in the US, in November 2023 began to trend down, but was still 22% higher than in November 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, pushing up demand and housing costs. In the same month, the average asking price of a US apartment was only 4% lower than the record high of $ 2,054/apartment/month reached in August 2022.
In addition, the HUD report also shows that in 2022, the US government's suspension of support measures for people during the pandemic could also be a contributing factor to the sudden increase in the number of homeless people in the first month of 2023.
Peggy Bailey, vice president of Housing Security and Income at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, called on officials to quickly address the root causes of homelessness and housing instability, including the gap between low incomes and rental costs.
Speaking about the report, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge stressed that homelessness is solvable and should not exist in the United States. “We have made positive progress, but there is still much work to be done,” Fudge said. “This data underscores the urgent need for additional solutions and strategies to help people transition out of homelessness and prevent homelessness from developing.”
In the nearly year since HUD’s census was conducted, the U.S. government has taken a number of steps to prevent widespread homelessness and provide assistance to those without homes. Among them is the Housing Supply Action Plan, which aims to increase the number of apartments built this year to the highest level in years.
In a statement released last week, HUD said it helped more than 424,000 households connect with homeless services, exit homelessness, or avoid homelessness altogether in 2023. Earlier this month, the Veterans Administration announced it had provided housing to more than 38,000 homeless veterans.
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