A new study from HUD says that the number of homeless people in the United States has gotten worse. It rose 12% from last year to 653,000.
The Wall Street Journal said that the numbers showed the biggest rise in homelessness and the highest number of homeless people since the agency began keeping track of numbers in 2007. It was worst in New York City, where 88,225 people were killed.
New York was at the top of the list, and the increase was an amazing 42.3%, or 26,185. Data from one night in January of last year are used to make the numbers. Another place, not New York place, is the poorest in the state.
High rents and more evictions are two reasons for the rise. Evictions were harder to do before the pandemic, but now they’re easier than ever.
“We must address the main driver of homelessness and housing instability—the gap between low incomes and rent costs,” Peggy Bailey, vice president for Housing and Income Security at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told CNN.
Several studies have looked at how much rent varies from US city to city. Some places put New York at the top. One poll says that the highest city number in the country is over $3,600.
In some studies, San Francisco and San Jose are a little higher, but they don’t have nearly as many people as New York.
“The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report To Congress” looked at the problem in terms of city size, race, age, being a soldier, and having children. “Nearly three out of ten people who were homeless (28% or about 186,100 people) were part of a family with children” in this last group.
It’s also hard to believe the numbers for New York State. 103,200 people were living without a home. Compared to California, which has 181,399, that’s a pretty low number. But California has about 39.1 million people living in it. It’s 19.7 million in New York State.
In 2023, rents will keep going up in most of the United States. And borrowing rates have made home prices go up. This is a big reason why people are homeless, so it probably won’t get better next year.