The Homelessness Crisis in America: An Overview of its Severity

The homeless crisis in America reached its peak in 2023, causing concern among many about the future and the measures being taken to address the issue.

In 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the US increased by 12% from the previous year, reaching a record high of 653,104 individuals, according to the HUD.

The report highlighted that the increase in homelessness was due to the conclusion of pandemic-related programs, including the eviction moratorium, and the subsequent rise in rental costs.

During the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. had been making consistent progress in decreasing its homeless population. This was due to the government's focus on increasing investments to provide housing for veterans. According to data from 2010 to 2017, the number of homeless individuals dropped from approximately 637,000 to about 554,000.

The number of people who became homeless between the federal fiscal years of 2021 to 2022 increased by 25%, according to HUD's report, which covers the 2022 fiscal year that ended in September 2022.

Last year, the annual report from HUD showed a 7.4% increase in veteran homelessness, which is the largest surge in 12 years.

In January 2023, a report found that there were 35,574 homeless veterans in the U.S., with unsheltered veterans accounting for nearly 80% of the overall increase in homelessness seen that year.

READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE.

The report stated that homelessness increased by 12% in 2022, which is equivalent to approximately 70,650 people.

• Sheltered homelessness rose by 13.7%
• Unsheltered homelessness rose by 9.7%.
• Homelessness among individuals rose by 10.8%.
• Homelessness among people in families with children rose by 15.5%.
• Homelessness among unaccompanied youth rose by 15.3%.
• Homelessness among veterans rose by 7.4%.
• Chronic homelessness among individuals rose by 12%

In the fiscal year 2023 funding bill, Congress allocated $3.633 billion for homeless assistance. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is pushing for an additional $200 million in funding for FY 2024, which is $84 million above the Biden administration's proposal.

In 2023, there was a 7% increase in the number of shelter and temporary housing beds compared to the previous year, in response to the growing demand for housing.

The top 10 cities in the US with the most homeless people are all in California, with Los Angeles having the highest number at over 71,000, followed by San Diego with over 10,000; San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento also have nearly 10,000 each; and San Francisco rounds out the list with over 7,500 homeless individuals.

Over 88,000 people in New York City, the country's most populous city, are homeless, which is more than three times the national rate, as reported by HUD.

1. Los Angeles: 71,3203. New York City: 88,0252. San Francisco: 7,582. San Diego: 10,2645. Seattle: 14,1494. Oakland, Calif.: 9,7598. Phoenix: 9,6429. San Jose, Calif.: 9,9037. Sacramento, Calif.: 9,28110. Denver: 10,0546.

The Supreme Court will soon determine a case that may aid in resolving the crisis in cities that have been severely affected.

The high court agreed to hear the case Grants Pass v. Johnson on Jan. 12, which concerns whether cities have the right to prohibit homeless individuals from sleeping in public spaces.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that anti-camping ordinances in Grants Pass, Oregon, were unconstitutional because they violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment."

The Hill reported that Grants Pass claimed that permitting homeless individuals to remain in campsites can result in increased criminal activity, fires, the resurgence of ancient diseases, and environmental harm.

The ruling of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal has been very harmful to cities when dealing with the homelessness crisis, according to Jason Rantz, host of the "Jason Rantz Show" on KTTH Radio Seattle/Tacoma and author of "What's Killing America."

If we don't use a carrot and stick approach, nothing will improve. Homeless people know they can't be easily swept, so they decline offers of shelter. When we make it easy to say no to shelter or any other resources, what happens? They say no. Municipalities must create policies that work in their communities without being hindered by liberal justices on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rantz argued that the left is avoiding the truth when they assert that homelessness is caused by high rents. Instead, he maintained that the increase in drugs is the root cause.

Rantz stated that our porous border allows drugs to flood the streets of cities, counties, and states that have adopted a permissive approach to drug use. Simultaneously, homelessness and the associated crimes have increased. To address the homelessness crisis effectively, we must reject harm reduction policies that enable drug use, stop treating it as a housing issue, and provide immediate treatment.

The ruling, if passed, would apply to nine Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

In 2018, a ruling by the 9th Circuit in a Boise, Idaho, case established that it is unconstitutional to penalize homeless individuals for sleeping on the street when no shelter is available, in violation of the 8th Amendment.

In November, San Francisco faced criticism after removing homeless people for beautification before President Biden's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, stated that people are saying that the cleaning up of the place is being done in preparation for the arrival of fancy leaders in town. However, he pointed out that this has been going on for months before the APEC summit, and they have been having conversations about it.

Despite Newsom's 10-year plan to end San Francisco homelessness, the problem persists, with San Francisco and the rest of California failing to make significant progress after 20 years.

""San Francisco's homeless crisis persists despite former Mayor Newsom's 10-year plan to end it, and the problem has spread statewide under his leadership," California GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson told Planet Chronicle Digital."

As housing prices rise and the cost of essentials like food and transportation increases, the number of people without a place to live also increases.

The Newsom Administration has significantly redirected state resources to tackle housing and homelessness issues. Through programs such as Roomkey and Homekey, over 71,000 individuals have been housed, and over 6,000 encampments have been cleared.

The federal government distributed $817 billion in stimulus payments to Americans as part of a pandemic-era program that concluded in March 2021, according to a New York Times estimate.

This report was contributed to by Andrew Mark Miller, Brie Stimson, Houston Keene, and Angelica Stabile of Planet Chronicle.