homelessness in the US has surged by 18% in January 2024 compared to the previous year, with a record 771,480 people registered as homeless, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This marks a significant increase, with 23 homeless individuals per 10,000 residents, and a particularly dramatic rise in the number of homeless families with children, up by 39% to 259,500.
The HUD attributes the surge to inflation, high housing costs, stagnant incomes for middle- and low-income households, and the “persistent consequences of systemic racism.” Natural disasters, such as the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, which left over 5,000 people homeless at the time of the data collection in January 2024, also contributed to the increase.
The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden has been praised for its efforts to address the crisis, with billions of dollars invested in affordable housing programs, including the construction of affordable housing units. However, even the highest housing construction numbers in decades could not reverse the trend.
Over the past decade, housing costs have skyrocketed, with rent increases outpacing wage growth by 1.5 times in the last four years alone. In 44 of the 50 largest US metropolitan areas, housing costs have exceeded wage growth.
Meanwhile, US media, citing experts, suggest that the new numbers are actually too low, with the outdated counting method failing to capture the full extent of the housing crisis in the US.