The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, attributed to a lack of affordable housing, devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported on Friday in its January 2024 Point-In-Time Count Report.
The report found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024. While HUD acknowledged that the data is a year old and there may be variances in the data, it also announced today several initiatives to combat homelessness.
HUD’s Point-In-Time Count Report indicated that homelessness among veterans dropped to the lowest number on record with an 8% decrease – from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024 – in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness.
Among unsheltered veterans, the number dropped nearly 11% – from 15,507 in 2023 to 13,851 in 2024. HUD says it has helped connect nearly 90,000 veteran households to rental homes through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The Department of Veterans Affairs also shared it has permanently housed 47,925 Veterans experiencing homelessness in 2024 — marking it the largest number of veterans housed in a single year since 2019.
“No American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe, and quality housing they deserve,” said HUD Agency Head, The Honorable Adrianne Todman. “While this data is nearly a year old, and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness. We know what works and our success in reducing veteran homelessness by 55.2% since 2010 shows that.”
Meanwhile, the announcement today revealed that HUD is updating regulations that “streamline the repurposing of surplus federal properties for affordable housing and homelessness services,” as well as awarding approximately $39.8 million to support veterans through the HUD-VASH program.
The updates conclude a collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in which states may apply to participate in a second cohort of the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator. Per HUD’s release, the program will “provide individualized technical assistance to help states reduce homelessness by addressing health-related social needs, such as services that connect older adults and people with disabilities to affordable, accessible housing.”
Additionally, in partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA) and HHS, HUD is aiming to boost the use of unutilized and underutilized federal properties to house the homeless. The department says that over 140 properties across the country have been repurposed so far.
“Homeless people need more than temporary shelter. They must have access to a comprehensive set of services that connects them to housing they can afford and maintain over the long term. Title V will allow the federal government to use empty federal properties to house homeless people and provide these vital services. The Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator will help local program administrators better serve older adults and people with disabilities by providing technical assistance and sharing lessons learned across sectors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “As USICH’s chair, I am proud of these groundbreaking efforts to use excess federal properties to help those who have lost it all get back on their feet.”
