This year, the number of homeless people in the United States has seen a record increase. American media: The largest increase since the pandemic | The number of homeless people in the United States | This year
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 15th that as the COVID-19 receded, the number of homeless people in the United States hit a record high this year. The statistics so far have increased by about 11% compared with last year, more than 580000 people, the largest increase since the US government began tracking data in 2007.
The growing number of people
The Wall Street Journal compared data from 67 out of the 100 regions with the highest number of homeless people last year, with 48 regions showing growth this year.
California accounts for the majority of this data. It is estimated that 171000 Californians are homeless this year, accounting for 30% of the total homeless population in the United States. Among them, the number of homeless people in Santiago alone is 10264, an increase of 22% from last year. In addition, the homeless population in Denver, Colorado increased by 32%, making it one of the cities with the largest increase among major cities.
The actual number of people may be even greater. The Wall Street Journal reporter explained, "After all, we cannot gather homeless people in one place to call names." If this trend continues, after experiencing a slight increase in recent years, the number of homeless people in the United States may see a greater increase.
In the past, people on the streets were often associated with unemployment and health issues. But an interview with The Washington Post found that more "stable, even high paying families" now cannot find affordable housing. "In the past, people who lived on salary and those who didn't," said Rachel Reynolds, a public relations manager at the Atlanta Missionary Society. "As the cost of living increases, I believe there will be different types of people coming to shelters to seek help."
Housing costs are the main cause
For homeless people in the United States, the biggest driving factor remains the high cost of housing.
The US Census Bureau estimated that 13.7 million Americans were in arrears with rent or mortgage loans in early June, an increase of 7% from April. Among them, 4.6 million adults stated that they are likely to lose their homes in the next two months due to eviction or loss of mortgage redemption rights.
The Inter Agency Coordinating Committee on Homelessness in the United States mentioned that although the Biden administration has issued over $500 million in new vouchers and grants so far this year to address rural and homeless issues, this "generous donation behavior" has not been significantly effective.
In the early stages of the epidemic, some tenants who could not afford rent benefited from the government's "eviction ban" protection, which temporarily solved their housing problems. However, in 2022, the ban expired and many tenants were forcibly evicted. Princeton University calculated the number of eviction applications in more than 30 cities, and the results showed that as of the end of June, the number of eviction applications in most cities this year was even higher than the average before the pandemic.
In addition, the influx of a large number of immigrants has also led to an increase in homelessness.
A series of negative impacts
The increase in the number of homeless people has intensified people's concerns about the wealth gap. In the eyes of politicians, homelessness has become an important political topic in this year's local elections, especially concerns related to crime rates. Earlier, due to the increase in homelessness and crime rates, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightford was forced to step down.
A study by the University of California, San Francisco also identified the psychological issues behind homelessness and the challenges of drug abuse. The study surveyed homeless people in California, and found that two-thirds of them have mental illnesses, over one-third have experienced sexual violence, and more than one-third have visited emergency rooms in the past six months.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States has found that homeless children are at a higher risk of serious health problems and are more susceptible to drug abuse and violence. According to data provided by the District of Columbia in the United States, the number of homeless households in the region has skyrocketed by 30% this year, with the vast majority being women and over half having experienced domestic violence.
