Rising Homelessness

Due to various contributing factors — a rise in migration, the gradual cessation of pandemic assistance programs, increasing inflation, and escalating housing expenses — the U.S. saw a 12 percent increase in homelessness from 2022 to 2023. This alarming trend continued into 2024, which saw a record-high 771,480 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.

Within this sharp rise, several troubling trends have emerged. In 2023, the number of families with children in shelters surged by 17 percent, totaling around 25,000 people. One in six homeless individuals in the U.S. is nearing retirement age (55–64). And while no federal data exists on unhoused workers, shelter administrators and local groups report a notable increase in first-time homeless individuals who are employed. These numbers are expected to rise further, driven by the overwhelming number of cost-burdened renters and the lack of affordable housing for minimum-wage workers. Data collection on homelessness presents limitations and challenges, leading to an underestimation of the true scale of the problem.

Tensions between cities and homeless populations have grown as officials attempt to maintain public safety without sufficient shelters to meet demand. This culminated in the 2024 U.S. Supreme Court Grants Pass ruling, which grants cities the authority to clear encampments and remove homeless individuals from public spaces. Since the decision, over a dozen California cities have quickly passed laws that either ban or severely punish public camping. Bans and proposed bans have also been issued by cities in Iowa, Illinois, Arizona, Oregon, New Hampshire, and statewide in Florida.

In California, San Jose's experiment with AI-powered surveillance to monitor homelessness has garnered national attention, raising concerns among housing advocates about the ethical implications of such technology. While homelessness is a systemic issue in American society, planners seeking solutions may prioritize forming partnerships with specialized nonprofits and other local organizations to deliver housing and essential support services. Other strategies may include leveraging funding for homelessness, amending zoning and permitting requirements, promoting economic mobility through programs such as universal basic income, and adapting disaster preparation and recovery efforts. Read the July 2024 Planning article "What Now for Communities and the Unhoused?" for more information on what planners have been doing to help connect those experiencing homelessness in their communities with shelter and other supportive services.