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Homelessness among Americans increased by about 11%, among veterans by 7% and among families with children by 15. 5%.
WASHINGTON — The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday.
About 653,000 more people were homeless in January. This is the highest figure since the country began using the single annual survey in 2007 to census the homeless population. The total represents an increase of approximately 70,650 other homeless people compared to January 2022.
The most recent estimate also indicates that other people experiencing homelessness for the first time are driving much of this increase, ending a downward trend in the number of family homeless people that began in 2012.
“This data underscores the urgent need for support for proven solutions and strategies that help people quickly exit homelessness and that prevent homelessness in the first place,” House and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a prepared statement.
The U. S. has made steady strides through recent years in reducing the homeless population, and the government has focused specifically on increasing investments to provide housing for veterans. The number of homeless people increased from about 637,000 in 2010 to about 554,000 in 2017.
The numbers reached about 580,000 at the 2020 count and remained strong over the next two years as Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency hiring assistance, stimulus payments, aid to state and local governments, and a temporary moratorium on evictions.
Jeff Olivet, executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, a federal agency, said the more “the increase in homelessness that we’re witnessing lately has slowed. “
“While many things lead to homelessness, the most significant reasons are the housing shortage and the high cost of housing that has left many Americans living paycheck to paycheck and a homelessness crisis,” Olivet said.
As a component of this overall increase, homelessness among Americans increased by about 11 percent, among veterans by 7. 4 percent, and among families with children by 15. 5 percent.
People who identify as Black make up just 13% of the U.S. population, but comprised 37% of all people experiencing homelessness. And more than a quarter of adults experiencing homelessness were over age 54.
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