The homeless population across the United States has reached an all-time high under the Biden Administration after steadily declining for 17 years, new data shows.
On a single night in 2023, 653,104 people were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 12 percent from the year before, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Annual Homelessness Assessment Report.
That is the highest the population has ever been since the point-in-time count began in 2007 – although the count was skipped in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The homeless epidemic has reached an all-time high fueled by crime, unemployment, a drug crisis and skyrocketing rents, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans living on the streets.
The spike has happened since Biden took office as Americans have also dealt with crippling inflation and a housing market that has many feeling squeezed.
On a single night in 2023, 653,104 people were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 12 percent from the year before. A homeless encampment in San Francisco
That is the highest the population has ever been since the point-in-time count began in 2007 – although the count was skipped in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Migrants wait in New York City for shelter
There were 111,620 homeless people under the age of 18 and over 98,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023 was age 55 or older. Tents line the sidewalk in Portland, Oregon
The report didn’t offer specifics on the reasons behind the jump of 100,000 more homeless people.
However, Ann Olivia, the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homeless, told USA Today more people are becoming homeless for the first time – and coming from rentals.
‘That move from a housed situation to an unhoused situation is happening more quickly, and it’s more direct. More folks are reporting, as they’re showing up in the homeless services system, that they’re coming directly from a lease,’ she told the outlet.
She also said its becoming harder to get people housed because of the increasing price of homes.
‘The cost of rent is outpacing our ability to get folks housed,’ Olivia said.
The Biden Administration has announced several programs to help slow the growth of the homeless population. Two weeks ago, the administration announced plans to help eight states and Washington, DC, ‘unlock critical resources to reduce homelessness by health-related social needs, such as housing-related services.’
That includes plans to offer to pay rent under a new $1.5billlion Medicaid pilot program.
‘Nobody in America should experience homelessness. Today we are taking important steps to help communities better access HHS’ programs to address homelessness and connect people with housing-related services and supports – which could be life changing,’ said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a release.
So far, though, the Biden programs have done little to stem the accelerate growth of homelessness across America.
So far, though, the Biden programs have done little to stem the accelerate growth of homelessness across America
Democrat-led California, New York, Washington, Massachusetts and Oregon had the biggest increases in their homeless populations since 2007
There were 111,620 homeless people under the age of 18 and over 98,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023 was aged 55 or older, according to the study.
‘Nearly 4 of every 10 people experiencing homelessness identified as Black, African American, or African (37 percent or 243,624 people). A higher percentage of people in shelter identified as Black (45 percent or 176,325 people) compared to people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered locations (26 percent or 67,299),’ the report noted.
The largest numerical increase in people experiencing homelessness across the country was among people who identify as Hispanic or Latino, jumping by 28 percent or 39,106 people in the last year.
The greatest percentage increase was among people who identify as Asian or Asian American by 64 percent.
In 2023, 35,574 veterans were experiencing homelessness, that is 22 of every 10,000 veterans in the United States.
Democrat-led California, New York, Washington, Massachusetts and Oregon had the biggest increases in their homeless populations since 2007.
There was a 30.5 percent increase since 2007 in the homeless population in California, 181,399 people were found to be experiencing homelessness in 2023.
There was a 30.5 percent increase since 2007 in the homeless population in California, 181,399 people were found to be experiencing homelessness in 2023. A homeless encampment in San Francisco
There were 111,620 homeless people under the age of 18 and over 98,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023 was age 55 or older. A view of a homeless encampment on a street in West Oakland, California
In the Golden State, groups were found living inside furnished caves dug into the banks of a river 20 feet below street level.
Crime-ridden San Francisco gave the city a facelift in November for the APEC summit that involved relocating members of the city’s burgeoning homeless population to shelters without providing additional beds.
The crisis goes hand-in-hand with increasing drug use and rampant crime – and some officials, like Sacramento’s District Attorney Thien Ho, have gone as far as suing the city over a failure to clean up encampments.
But innovative charities are starting to soothe tensions in cities like California’s San Jose and Nevada’s Reno, by thinking big and small – from the construction of a ginormous 15-acre tent, to miniscule 400-square-foot homes.
New York’s homeless population has grown 64.9 percent since 2007 to 103,200 homeless people in 2023, which in part has been attributed to migrants coming to the Big Apple from the US southern border.
More than 160,000 migrants have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022 and the crisis is only deepening as they continue to be bussed from Texas where record numbers are pouring over the border.
