Homelessness is the state of lacking a safe, stable, and functioning home. It is sheltered or unsheltered. Sheltered homelessness is residing in a supervised shelter, such as an emergency or transitional placement. Unsheltered homelessness are those who are sleeping in places not intended for human habitat, such as on streets, in cars, under bridges, without access to a shelter. This can also be known as “housed” or “unhoused” homelessness. We know how to solve homelessness. Programs and communities have demonstrated that homelessness is solvable. Research shows that permanent and affordable housing with income support ultimately end homelessness.

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Homelessness has existed in the United States from the colonial period through the present day. Homelessness has been rapidly increasing since the early 1990s, with exponential growth in suburban and rural areas. According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, seven states — California, New York, Florida, Washington, Texas, Oregon, and Massachusetts — account for 63% of people experiencing homelessness. This is due to the large overall population in these states. From 2022 to 2023 homelessness in New Hampshire and New Mexico increased by more than 50%. Vermont, Maine, Montana, Colorado, and Alaska have very high rates. In 2023, 59% of people experiencing homelessness lived in urban areas.

 

But homelessness affects every state and city, suburban and rural areas alike. It impacts people of all ages, races, ethnicities, gender, identity, and sexual orientation. Homelessness has become a humanitarian and public health crisis.

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The number of homeless people in the United States is determined by a point- in-time count that is federally mandated and takes place at a certain time during the last ten days of January every year. Advocates contend that the counts underestimate the true number of people without homes by excluding people who are staying with family or friends, or who may be in jail or hospitals. Volunteers in communities around the country count both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people.

 

There are two main sources of federal homelessness data: the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Annual Student Homelessness in America Report, published by the Department of Education’s technical assistance operator, the National Center for Homeless Education. 

 

Data consistently shows that the homeless population keeps growing with a constant influx of new people. HUD’s report for January 2024 found more than 771,480, people were experiencing homelessness, an 18% increase from 2023. There were 70,642 more people without a home than in 2022.

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Historically, most people who experience homelessness are doing so for the first time. Between 2019 and 2023, the total number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time grew by 23.3% (183,248 people). In 2023, 970,806 people were homeless for the first time, the highest number ever recorded.

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In 2023, there were 218,118 too few shelter beds needed for the homeless.

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