The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress was published this past December 15th; key findings of the 117-page document include that:
“On a single night in 2023, roughly 653,100 people – or about 20 of every 10,000 people in the United States – were experiencing homelessness. Six in ten people were experiencing sheltered homelessness—that is, in an emergency shelter (ES), transitional housing (TH), or safe haven (SH) program—while the remaining four in ten were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not meant for human habitation.
Experiences of homelessness increased nationwide across all household types. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 12 percent, or roughly 70,650 more people.
The 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) count is the highest number of people reported as experiencing homelessness on a single night since reporting began in 2007. The overall increase reflects the increases in all homeless populations. Homelessness among persons in families with children experiencing homelessness rose by 16 percent. Similarly, the rise in individuals experiencing homelessness was 11 percent.”
It’s also important to note that point-in-time (PIT) estimates are widely considered to be undercounts–possibly by up to half–including since PIT counts are usually coordinated in the Winter morning, when many folks living on the street are out seeking some sort of refuge. Additionally, a 2019 article from Bloomberg pointed out a discrepancy between the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s number of unsheltered Americans versus that of the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES); in 2015, HUD identified just under 565,000 people without shelter, but the NCES counted up to 1.3 million homeless children attending public schools that year.
While virtually every state, including Alaska and Hawaii count homeless people within their boundaries, since 2007, when point-in-time counting of unsheltered folks began, the five states with the largest growth in homelessness have been “blue” or democratic; however, it’s also key to consider that blue states have historically been far denser than “red” or Republican-led states.
On the other hand, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans are also breaking records. According to Americans For Tax Fairness, a lobbying association, as of November 2023, the collective wealth of 741 billionaires in the U.S amounted to $5.1 trillion. The organization also notes that:
“[U.S. Billionaires’ wealth] is up an astounding $2.3 trillion (78%) since enactment of the Trump-GOP tax law in 2017—a fiscally irresponsible measure heavily slanted towards the rich that undoubtedly contributed to billionaires’ wealth growth over the last six years.”
To be certain, though, of 332 million people in the U.S., 741 billionaires represent just about 000002%, or two hundred-thousandths of the overall population.
J.T.
