As rents soared and programs focused on preventing evictions and housing loss ended, homelessness hit a record high in 2023, with roughly 20 out of every 10,000 people in the United States found to be experiencing homelessness on a single night. That’s according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Among the key findings of HUD‘s report, officials found that homelessness increased across all household types. Roughly 653,100 people nationwide were experiencing homelessness during a Point-In-Time count conducted in January 2023.
Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 12%, or an increase of roughly 70,650 people. The 2023 Point-in-Time count is the highest number of people reported as experiencing homelessness on a single night since reporting began in 2007.
Homelessness among people in families with children rose 16%, while individuals registered an 11% increase in the homeless population.
Most of the homelessness crisis remains centered in the nation’s 50 largest cities.
The data also shows a sharp increase in people who became homeless for the first time.
HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said homelessness “should not exist in the US” because it is “solvable.”