Rockville, Md. – The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2024 was the highest ever recorded. The 18 percent increase from 2023 meant that on a single night in January, 771,480 people experienced homelessness in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program, or in unsheltered locations across the country. The number of people experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness (individuals with a disability who have been unhoused for one year or longer or have experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years), has reached record highs as well. One in every three individuals experiencing homelessness reported chronic patterns of homelessness, a 27 percent rise since data were first collected in 2007. And a record 65 percent of all individuals experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness were in unsheltered locations.
These data and other findings were released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the 2024 Point-In-Time Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Abt Global collects, analyzes, and reports these data for HUD. This most recent report shows that nearly all populations—sheltered and unsheltered—reached record levels, from families with children to individuals experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness.
Several factors likely contributed to the spike: the worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnating wages among lower-income households, and the persistent effects of systemic racism. Other factors also helped stretch homelessness services systems to their limits. These include public health crises, natural disasters, an influx of immigrants, and the end to pandemic-related homelessness prevention programs.
People in families with children had the largest single year increase in homelessness. Between 2023 and 2024, 39 percent more people in families with children experienced homelessness. Veterans were the only population to experience continued declines in homelessness, with an eight percent drop. The decline is the direct result of targeted and sustained funding to reduce veteran homelessness.
People who identify as Black, African American, or African continue to be overrepresented among the population experiencing homelessness. People who identify as Black made up just 12 percent of the U.S. population and 21 percent of those living in poverty but 32 percent of people experiencing homelessness.
About Abt Global
Abt Global is a global consulting and research firm that combines data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people's lives. We partner with clients and communities to advance equity and innovation—from creating scalable digital solutions and combatting infectious disease, to mitigating climate change and evaluating programs for measurable social impact—and more.
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