The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recently reported a significant surge in homelessness at the onset of 2023, with a 12% rise in the number of individuals without a home on a single night.
HUD's findings are based on "Point-in-Time Estimates," a method that counts the number of people in shelters, those in temporary housing, and those without shelter. According to the report, 653,000 individuals were found to be "experiencing homelessness" on a single night in January 2023, marking a 12% increase from the previous year.
This rise translates to an additional 70,650 homeless individuals, making it the highest number of homeless people in the country since the agency started collecting such data in 2007, as noted by the Epoch Times.
The department attributes this increase to the post-pandemic expiration of resources, asserting that funding had previously prevented a rise in homelessness between 2020 and 2022.
The report further reveals that homelessness among families with children saw the most significant increase at 15.5%, while homelessness among veterans rose by 7.4%. Over half of the homeless population reportedly resides in just four states: California, Florida, New York, and Washington.
Despite the overall increase, HUD highlighted several cities, predominantly in Texas, where homelessness has been successfully reduced through government programs. For instance, Dallas City and County reportedly experienced "a small decrease of 3.8% in overall homelessness as well as a 14% decrease in unsheltered homelessness and 32% decrease in chronic homelessness between 2022 and 2023."
San Antonio and Houston, Texas, along with San Jose/Santa Clara City and Watsonville/Santa Cruz City, California, were also cited as success stories. The report noted a 1.2% decrease in homeless individuals in Santa Clara County and a 4.7% drop within the city limits of San Jos. The Santa Cruz area saw a 21.5% decrease in homelessness, which HUD attributed to a "significant influx of resources from federal and state government agencies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Homelessness is solvable and should not exist in the United States," stated Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. "From day one, this Administration has put forth a comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness and weve acted aggressively and in conjunction with our federal, state, and local partners to address this challenge," she added.
However, Kari Lake, a candidate for U.S. Senate, blamed President Joe Biden's policies for exacerbating the homelessness crisis. Lake pointed out that Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego's district in Phoenix, Arizona, has been particularly affected by homelessness.
"In Joe Biden's America, it's almost impossible to pay rent or afford a home," she wrote. "Homelessness nationwide just reached its highest reported level at 12%. Nowhere in Arizona is this more obvious than Ruben Gallego's district," she added.
Despite this, HUD reported that Tucson, Arizona, has seen a "9% reduction in unsheltered homelessness, as well as a slight 1% decrease in overall homelessness" from 2022 to 2023.
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