Our employment is setting records….markets are doing good (for the most part) and all is well with the world.
Not exactly.
There is one sector of this nation that is growing….homelessness.
The US saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally required counts taken across the country in January found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless. That tally misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own, the AP reports.
The increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the nation, with Black people being overrepresented among the homeless population. Adrianne Todman of HUD said in a statement that the focus should remain on “evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness.” Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness—one of the areas most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities.
Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago, and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year. Disasters also played a part in the rise in the count, especially the Maui wildfire, per the AP. Several large cities had success bringing down their homeless numbers. Dallas, which worked to overhaul its homeless system, saw a 16% drop in its numbers between 2022 to 2024. Los Angeles, which increased housing for the homeless, saw a drop of 5% in unsheltered homelessness since 2023.
This is a situation that most Americans choose to ignore or make lame ass excuses for why this problem persists.
This needs attention and jail time for those homeless is not the answer…..only a quick fix to look like someone actually cares.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Homelessness started increasing as the shutting down of the mental institutions started in the sixties, increased under Regan as cuts to federal housing program cuts started. Along with that gentrification of cities, housing codes and zoning laws have resulted in a severe shortage of inexpensive housing in some areas of the country. Not enough people are. addressing the problem and homeless numbers keep growing.
I agree…..these are people that society tries to ignore. chuq
This is real. I’ve seen it for years in DC. It’s a wreck, part mental, part drugs, part economics. My default to ‘can you spare a dime brother’ is ‘well isn’t this your choice.’ That is a sad ethic. My sister hands out water bottles and nuts in a bag. i don’t know what’s right. I just know this is wrong.
We have a problem around here….I try to donate to the local food bank at least once a week….I wish I could do more. chuq
Earlier this year, I watched a BBC documentary about homeless people in California. The people all had good full-time jobs with average incomes. But they were living in their cars in car parks because they could not afford the rent on properties or the mortgage increases. One car park had 30 cars in it, all with people living in them. They went to work every morning, then came back to the car parks after work and slept in their cars. It was a very different view of what it means to be homeless when you are fully employed.
Best wishes, Pete.
There is plenty of that going on but they (the media) had prefer to make them all out as lay-abouts, addicts or mentally ill. chuq
My wife and I volunteer with a local charitable organization that tries to help people get through rough situations, and it’s pretty bad out there. For a time we were able to get people temporarily homeless vouchers for a local motel, but the motel got bought out and torn down for redevelopment so we lost that option for them. There is no place for them to go here in this county to get shelter now. The only option they have are a couple of shelters in another county about 20 miles away, and those shelters are generally at over their rated capacity already.
We try to work with landlords to work out payment plans for people in danger of being evicted, may lose their electricity, gas, water, etc. But often by the time they come to us it’s already too late and they’ve already been evicted.
I commend your efforts on behalf of those in danger….more people should follow your example….well done chuq
The incoming administration will create more homelessness in the united states than has ever been seen before including during the hobo days of the great depression. The Middle class will be the ones doing most of the suffering as they lose their homes due to increasing property taxes, more expensive utilities, impossible rents…as Trump deregulates everything, private property ownerwhip will become the playing field of the rich and the poor will go into the streets and under the bridges—- They might even find themselves in specialized “Communities” (Camps) for the indigent somewhere in the Nevada desert or elsewhere out of sight and out of mind.
Dire thoughts….we can only hope it is not coming. chuq