Homelessness in America is a pressing crisis that can be difficult to document.
The same pandemic conditions that ravaged the economy and disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable kept the government from accurately counting those left without shelter. 582,462 individuals are experiencing homelessness in America, an increase of about 2,000 people since the last complete census conducted in 2020.
About 30 percent of people without homes are experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness. This means they've been without homes for more than 12 months or have experienced extended periods of extended homelessness over the past three
Most states saw their homeless populations rise since 2019, including four where the tally more than doubled (Delaware, Vermont, Louisiana, Maine).
Most states saw their homeless populations rise since 2019, including four where the tally more than doubled (Delaware, Vermont, Louisiana, Maine).
Sixty percent of individuals experiencing homelessness are male, though unsheltered homelessness rose by five percent among women and girls. More than a quarter of those experiencing homelessness were with their families and children.
In December of 2022, HUD calculated that 582,462 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States and its territories. That number represented an increase of nearly 2,000 individuals over the last complete accounting of 2020, yet remained steady at .18 percent of the nation's population.
Despite this slight increase in those without homes since the pandemic's start and gradual increases since 2016, the number of people experiencing homelessness is lower today than a decade ago. Of those experiencing homelessness, 60 percent found refuge in sheltered locations (like emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing programs). The other 40 percent spent their nights unsheltered (often on the street, in abandoned buildings, or in other places not designated/suitable for human habitation). These proportions mark a three percent increase in unsheltered individuals combined with a two percent decrease among those in shelter facilities. Though available shelter beds increased over the last two years (aided by emergency funding through the federal CARES act), the shift may reflect COVID restrictions compelling reduced occupancy. Sadly, more than a quarter of those experiencing homelessness in 2022 did so as part of a family with children.
Though the number of families without permanent homes is distressing, this group had greater access to assistance.
Nearly nine in ten unhoused people who were part of families with children were sheltered - a much higher percentage than individuals experiencing homelessness (49 percent). Thankfully, the number of unhoused people in families with children has declined each year since 2012 and fallen collectively by one-third in that time.