Homelessness in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024, according to a new survey from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The annual report found "more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024," which is a level 18% higher than the same time last year.
Close to 150,000 of those experiencing homelessness were children, according to the report. Close to 20% were over the age of 55. People who identify as Black, African American, or African were overrepresented, making up 32% of the total.
The agency says increased migration by asylum-seekers, lapses in pandemic-era programs and steep housing costs all contributed to the increase in homelessness.
Migration increased rates of family homelessness in particular. In 13 cities that reported influxes of migrants, the rate of family homelessness "more than doubled" year over year, according to the report. Communities that did not experience the same increase in migrants saw an increase in family homelessness of 8%.
Officials told reporters migration by asylum-seekers coming from outside the country was a major factor in changes to homelessness totals, but the report does not provide specifics and also notes that the Biden administration's executive actions to secure the border curtailed immigration and contributed to reduced rates of migrant arrivals in some cities.
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Natural disasters such as the wildfire in Maui contributed to homelessness. The report says more than 5,200 people were living in shelters due to the fire on the day the report's data was collected.
And the report found inflation, flat wages among low-income groups and a lack of affordable housing all contributed to the total.
In all, the report showed that 23 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S. experienced homelessness at the time HUD surveyed the population. But the agency cautions that figure does not necessarily reflect the rate of homelessness at this time of writing, since policies and individual circumstances vary.
"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,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “While this data is nearly a year old, and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness."
