Record Increase in Homelessness in the U.S. Over the Past Year at 11%: WSJ

In the United States, the number of homeless individuals has seen a record increase of 11% over the past year, bringing the total to 577,000 people (about 0.2% of the country's population). This information was reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing its own research.

Compared to last year, the homelessness rate has increased by 11%, surpassing pre-pandemic figures from 2020, the paper notes. “In some areas, the rise in numbers may reflect the homelessness issue becoming more pronounced due to challenges in counting during the pandemic,” WSJ writes.

The publication highlights that these are preliminary data, but this increase is linked to “numerous problems” in the U.S., ranging from rising housing costs and a lack of rental spaces to the ongoing opioid crisis. Additionally, experts surveyed by WSJ connect the increase in homelessness in certain cities to the rise in the number of migrants. One of those cities is New York, where authorities have legalized the right to shelter; for instance, currently, over 80,000 homeless individuals are officially registered in the city’s system.

Last December, President Joe Biden's administration presented a plan to reduce the number of homeless individuals in the country by 25% by 2025. According to the new strategy, Washington will begin collaborating with state and city authorities, who will receive federal support to address the problem locally.