A groundbreaking new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that homelessness across the country is up a whopping 18.1%, with several factors driving the uptick

The U.S. saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, with more than 770,000 people counted as homeless, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The groundbreaking report referenced devastating natural disasters as well as a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, both compounded with a lack of affordable housing that’s been driving up numbers.

Federally required tallies taken across the country in January found that over 770,000 people were counted as homeless, a number that, even at such a high level, misses several people and doesn’t include those staying with friends or family because they don’t have a place of their own.

Among the factors driving homelessness include a lack of affordable housing, a surge in migrants and devastating natural disasters ( 
Image:
AP)
Shockingly, the number is a 12% increase from 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rent prices and the end of pandemic assistance from the COVID-19 crisis. The increase was also reportedly driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Around 23 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S. are homeless, and Black people seem to be overrepresented in that statistic, comprising a large portion of the homeless population.

HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman said in a statement, “No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe and quality housing they deserve.” She added that the focus should remain on “evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”

Perhaps the most concerning trend from the data was a 40% spike in family homelessness, which is one of the areas most impacted by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Homeless families more than doubled in 13 different communities that were impacted by migrants, including Denver, Chicago and New York City, HUD statistics reveal.

It rose less than 8%, however, in the remaining 373 communities that comprised the study. Another shocking statistic is that nearly 150,000 children experienced at least a single night of homelessness in 2024, which is a 33% jump from last year.

Then, there was the matter of natural disasters — the Maui wildfires, for example, which are considered the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in more than a century, displaced over 5,200 people, who had to stay in emergency shelters throughout Hawaii on the night of the count.

“Increased homelessness is the tragic, yet predictable, consequence of underinvesting in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing,” Renee Willis, incoming interim CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said in a statement. “As advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to increase as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs.”

Compounding the issue are communities taking a hard line against homelessness, with many communities — or rather the officials running those communities — angered by the often dangerous and dirty tent camps. They’ve been enforcing bans, especially in Western states, on camps, which, following a 6-3 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that found that outdoor sleeping bans don’t violate the Eighth Amendment, is perfectly legal.

But homeless advocates argue that punishing people who just need a place to sleep for the night criminalizes their condition. That, in turn, makes it more difficult for them to get the help they need and to find housing and break out of the vicious cycle in which they found themselves.

There was, however, some positive information in the statistics, which revealed a downward trend in homelessness among veterans. That dropped 8% down to just 32,882 in 2024, with an even larger decrease at 11% for unsheltered veterans, who now number about 13,851.

“The reduction in veteran homelessness offers us a clear roadmap for addressing homelessness on a larger scale,” Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. “With bipartisan support, adequate funding, and smart policy solutions, we can replicate this success and reduce homelessness nationwide. Federal investments are critical in tackling the country’s housing affordability crisis and ensuring that every American has access to safe, stable housing.”

Several large cities like Dallas had success in bringing down their homelessness numbers, with that city in particular overhauling its homeless system. That led to a 16% drop in numbers between 2022 and 2024. Los Angeles also saw a decrease, theirs of 5% since 2023, after increasing housing for the homeless.

The states with the largest homeless populations include California, New York, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts. The overall sharp increase in homelessness over the past several years sharply contrasts with progress the U.S. had been making over the past decade.

Since 2007, the U.S. made steady progress on reducing homelessness, with the government particularly focused on increasing investments to get veterans off the streets. There had been about 637,000 homeless in 2010 compared to just 554,000 in 2017. Now, however, the numbers are significantly higher.

COVID-19 also led to an uptick in homelessness, though a small one, and those numbers remained steady for about two years as Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency rental assistance, stimulus payments and aid to states and local governments as well as a temporary eviction moratorium.