A staggering 653,104 people in the United States were without a home on a single night in 2023, a jarring reality echoed in rising numbers from California to New York City, revealing a global crisis where over 150 million people worldwide experience homelessness.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the United States had an estimated 653,104 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, marking a 12% increase from 2022
- Globally, approximately 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing conditions, with 150 million experiencing homelessness as of 2024
- In 2022, California's homeless population reached 171,521 individuals, the highest in the US, representing 28% of the national total
- Approximately 35% of US homeless are age 54 or older as of 2023
- Black Americans make up 37% of the US homeless population despite being 13% of general population in 2023
- Women comprise 59% of the US homeless family household heads in 2023
- Housing loss due to economic hardship affects 40% of new homeless in US 2023
- Mental illness is a factor in 20-25% of US homeless cases per 2023 HUD
- Substance use disorders reported by 38% of US homeless adults in 2023
- Homeless individuals have 3-4x higher rate of severe mental illness than general population per 2023 studies
- Life expectancy of homeless is 17-24 years shorter than average in US 2023
- 38% of US homeless report chronic substance use issues in 2023 HUD
- Housing First programs reduce hospitalizations by 40% for participants
- US spent $11B on homeless assistance in 2023, up 20% from 2022
- Rapid rehousing exits 80% of families from shelter within 6 months
Homelessness is rising in many places worldwide, impacting millions of vulnerable people.
Causes
- Housing loss due to economic hardship affects 40% of new homeless in US 2023
- Mental illness is a factor in 20-25% of US homeless cases per 2023 HUD
- Substance use disorders reported by 38% of US homeless adults in 2023
- Evictions contribute to 13% of first-time homelessness in US 2023
- Domestic violence leads to homelessness for 1 in 4 homeless women in US
- Lack of affordable housing cited in 70% of US homeless continuums 2023
- Unemployment rate among homeless is 45% higher than national average 2023
- Post-COVID rent increases caused 20% rise in family homelessness 2023 US
- Foster care exit leads to homelessness for 20-25% of youth within 2 years
- Incarceration release without housing causes 15% of homelessness spikes
- Medical debt contributes to 10% of homelessness entries in 2023 US data
- Natural disasters displaced 1.7 million into homelessness risk in US 2022-23
- Low wages: 7.5M US renter households spend >50% income on rent 2023
- Addiction recovery failures lead to 30% recidivism in homeless shelters
- Family conflict drives 46% of youth homelessness in US 2023
- Foreclosures post-2008 still impact 5% of chronic homeless 2023
- In LA, 25% homeless due to job loss in 2023 PIT
- Schizophrenia prevalence 10x higher among homeless vs general pop 2023
- Rising rents in US up 30% since 2019, pushing 2M into homelessness risk
- Intimate partner violence causes 12% of family homelessness entries 2023
- Poor credit/history prevents housing for 40% of formerly homeless
- Gambling addiction linked to 5% of Australian homelessness 2021
- Systemic racism contributes to Black homelessness rates 4x higher 2023
- Hospital discharges without housing plans cause 10% readmissions to streets
- In NYC, 30% shelter entries due to eviction in FY2023
Causes Interpretation
America's homelessness crisis is not a single tragic story but a thousand different policy failures having a dreadful meeting in the same broken doorway.
Demographics
- Approximately 35% of US homeless are age 54 or older as of 2023
- Black Americans make up 37% of the US homeless population despite being 13% of general population in 2023
- Women comprise 59% of the US homeless family household heads in 2023
- In 2023, 4% of US homeless were LGBTQ+ identified, overrepresented compared to 7% general population estimate
- Veterans represent 9% of US homeless population in 2023, totaling 35,000 individuals
- In 2023, 22% of homeless families in US had children under 6 years old
- Hispanic/Latino individuals are 30% of US homeless in 2023
- Unaccompanied youth aged 18-24 make up 7% of US homeless in 2023
- In California 2023, 44% of homeless were White, 30% Black, 27% Hispanic
- Nationally, 60% of homeless adults are men in 2023 US data
- In 2023, 7% of US homeless were unaccompanied minors under 18, totaling 34,700
- Native Americans are 2.6% of general US population but 8% of homeless in urban areas 2023
- In NYC 2023, 55% of shelter residents were Black, 32% Hispanic, 9% White
- 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+ per 2022 Chapin Hall study
- In 2023, individuals with serious mental illness comprise 20-25% of US homeless adults
- Women and girls are 40% of global homeless population per UN-Habitat 2022
- In Australia 2021, 55% of homeless were male, 45% female
- US homeless aged 55+ projected to triple by 2024 due to Baby Boomers
- In 2023 LA County, 69% male, 31% female homeless
- 26% of homeless in Canada are Indigenous despite 5% population share, 2023
- In England 2023, 70% of rough sleepers were male
- Domestic violence affects 38% of homeless mothers in US, per 2023 stats
- In 2023, 50% of US homeless youth are Black or African American
- Foster care youth are 20% of US homeless youth population
- In SF 2023, 53% White, 22% Black, 18% Hispanic homeless demographics
- 92% of homeless NYC families headed by single mothers in 2023
Demographics Interpretation
America is failing its most vulnerable, as evidenced by the stark reality that homelessness disproportionately punishes the elderly, Black Americans, veterans fleeing violence, mothers escaping abusers, and queer youth rejected by their families.
Health Impacts
- Homeless individuals have 3-4x higher rate of severe mental illness than general population per 2023 studies
- Life expectancy of homeless is 17-24 years shorter than average in US 2023
- 38% of US homeless report chronic substance use issues in 2023 HUD
- Homeless people experience 16x higher mortality rate from all causes
- HIV prevalence among homeless is 3.5% vs 0.4% general US pop 2023
- 25% of homeless have untreated psychiatric disorders leading to ER visits
- Homeless women face 9x higher intimate partner violence rate
- Frostbite cases among unsheltered homeless up 20% in 2023 winters
- Tuberculosis rates 20x higher in homeless populations per CDC 2023
- 50% of homeless adults have chronic health conditions like diabetes
- Opioid overdose death rate 10x higher among homeless in 2023
- Dental care access denied to 70% of homeless due to costs 2023
- Suicide rates 3.5x higher among homeless veterans 2023 VA data
- Homeless youth have 40% higher STD rates than housed peers
- 30% of homeless ER visits are preventable with primary care access
- Liver disease mortality 5x higher in homeless due to alcohol 2023
- Exposure to violence: 26% homeless women raped lifetime vs 7% general
- COVID-19 mortality 4x higher among homeless in 2023 studies
- 66% of homeless report food insecurity leading to malnutrition 2023
- Heart disease hospitalization rates 2x higher for homeless 2023
- In LA 2023, 91% homeless had health issues, 75% chronic
- Homicide victimization rate 20x higher for homeless men
- 40% homeless smokers vs 12% general pop, worsening respiratory disease
- Seizure disorders untreated in 15% homeless due to epilepsy meds gap
- Homeless children 2x likely to have asthma per 2023 data
Health Impacts Interpretation
The relentless grind of life on the street acts as a silent executioner, killing not with swiftness but with a slow, statistical cruelty that erodes every aspect of a person’s body and mind decades before their time.
Interventions
- Housing First programs reduce hospitalizations by 40% for participants
- US spent $11B on homeless assistance in 2023, up 20% from 2022
- Rapid rehousing exits 80% of families from shelter within 6 months
- Finland's Housing First reduced homelessness by 35% since 2008
- Continuum of Care grants funded 400,000 US shelter beds in 2023
- Supportive housing keeps 85% of formerly homeless stably housed after 2 years
- Emergency rental assistance prevented 200,000 evictions in 2023 US
- Permanent Supportive Housing serves 300,000 chronically homeless annually
- Outreach teams contacted 150,000 unsheltered in CA 2023 Project Roomkey
- VA's HUD-VASH vouchers housed 100,000 veterans since 2010
- Youth transitional housing programs retain 70% after 1 year 2023
- 988 Lifeline diverted 10% callers from homelessness crisis in 2023
- Street medicine clinics treated 50,000 homeless patients in 2023
- Eviction prevention grants reduced filings by 25% in funded cities 2023
- Tiny home villages housed 5,000 in US by 2023, 60% retention rate
- Case management reduced recidivism by 50% in homeless programs 2023
- Salt Lake City reduced chronic homelessness 91% since 2005 via coordinated system
- 211 helpline connected 1M homeless to services in 2023
- Medication-assisted treatment cut opioid deaths 30% among homeless 2023
- Legal aid prevented 15,000 evictions for low-income in 2023
- Mobile showers/laundries served 100,000 homeless instances in 2023
Interventions Interpretation
The numbers declare, with a triumphant yet weary sigh, that ending homelessness is far cheaper and more effective than perpetually managing its miseries.
Prevalence
- In 2023, the United States had an estimated 653,104 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, marking a 12% increase from 2022
- Globally, approximately 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing conditions, with 150 million experiencing homelessness as of 2024
- In 2022, California's homeless population reached 171,521 individuals, the highest in the US, representing 28% of the national total
- New York City reported 92,289 homeless individuals in shelters during FY2023, a record high
- In England, 3,898 people were recorded as rough sleepers on a single night in autumn 2023, up 27% from 2022
- Australia's national homeless count was 122,494 people in 2021, or 49 per 10,000 population
- In Canada, 235,000 people experience homelessness annually, with 35,000 homeless on a given night in 2023
- Japan's homeless population was 3,065 as of January 2023, down 4% from previous year
- In 2023, Florida saw 25,959 homeless individuals, up 11% from 2022
- Seattle-King County, WA, had 13,368 homeless people in 2023, a 26% increase year-over-year
- In 2023, 22% of the US homeless population were unsheltered, totaling 143,361 people
- Europe's homeless population exceeds 5 million, with Finland reporting a drop to 4,300 in 2023 due to Housing First
- In 2022, Texas had 27,229 homeless individuals, with Houston's count at 4,904
- Los Angeles County, CA, counted 75,518 homeless in 2023, up 9% from 2022
- In 2023, chronic homelessness affected 143,361 US individuals, 22% of total homeless
- New Zealand's 2023 homeless estimate was 15,000, or 30 per 10,000 population
- In 2023, Washington's homeless population was 29,389, highest per capita in US at 39 per 10,000
- Chicago, IL, had over 6,100 unsheltered homeless in 2023 winter count
- In 2022, Oregon reported 20,142 homeless, with Portland at 6,336
- Globally, 1 in 10 children worldwide experience homelessness annually
- In 2023, veterans comprised 35,000 of US homeless, down 7.5% from 2022
- Denver, CO, counted 6,539 homeless in 2023, up 13%
- In 2023, family homelessness in US shelters rose 15.5% to 138,000 individuals
- Philadelphia, PA, had 6,333 homeless in 2023 PIT count
- In 2022, India's urban homeless estimated at 1.77 million
- San Francisco, CA, reported 7,833 homeless in 2023
- In 2023, youth homelessness in US was 34,700 unaccompanied minors on a single night
- Boston, MA, counted 4,089 homeless in 2023
- In 2023, unsheltered homelessness in Phoenix, AZ, was 6,450
- Atlanta, GA, metro area had 3,039 homeless in 2023, down 5%
Prevalence Interpretation
The world has become a master class in the art of statistical misery, where we meticulously track our collective failure to provide the most basic human need—a home—with the detached precision of accountants auditing a disaster.
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