While an alarming 12% surge in homelessness collides with a deepening affordable housing crisis, the data reveals both the staggering scale of the challenge and the critical role of HUD programs as a lifeline for millions.
Key Takeaways
- The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) documented 653,104 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, a 12.1% increase from 2022.
- Among the homeless population in 2023, 22.5% were chronically homeless, totaling 146,923 individuals.
- Unsheltered homelessness rose by 7% in 2023, affecting 252,641 people across the U.S.
- In 2022, the median home price was $393,500, up 2.7% from 2021.
- Renters facing severe housing cost burden (paying over 50% of income on rent) increased to 9.0 million households in 2022.
- In 2022, 48.9% of renter households were cost-burdened (over 30% of income on housing).
- As of 2023, HUD funded 1.2 million public housing units nationwide.
- The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program served 2.3 million low-income households in 2023.
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) contracts covered 1.3 million units in FY 2023.
- In FY 2022, HUD allocated $6.5 billion in Capital and Operating Funds to public housing., category: Public and Assisted Housing
- In FY 2022, HUD received 27,000 fair housing complaints.
- Sexual harassment complaints under FHA increased 25% from 2021 to 2022.
- Disability discrimination accounted for 55% of FHA complaints in FY 2022.
- In 2023, 67% of home purchase loans were FHA-insured.
- FHA originations reached 930,000 loans totaling $383 billion in FY 2023.
HUD's report shows homelessness rising sharply amid a severe housing affordability crisis.
Fair Housing and Discrimination
- In FY 2022, HUD received 27,000 fair housing complaints.
- Sexual harassment complaints under FHA increased 25% from 2021 to 2022.
- Disability discrimination accounted for 55% of FHA complaints in FY 2022.
- Race-based complaints comprised 18% of total fair housing cases in 2022.
- In 2022, HUD resolved 92% of fair housing complaints through settlements.
- National Fair Housing Alliance reported 10,000+ discrimination tests in 2022.
- 31% of renters experienced discrimination based on source of income in 2022 surveys.
- FHA complaints involving familial status rose 15% in FY 2022.
- In 2022, 4,500 complaints cited national origin discrimination.
- HUD's Office of Fair Housing enforced against 1,200 properties in 2022.
- Color discrimination complaints numbered 1,200 in FY 2022.
- Religion-based complaints increased to 1,100 in 2022.
- Sex discrimination cases totaled 2,500 under FHA in FY 2022.
- HUD awarded $12 million in fair housing grants in FY 2022.
- Private fair housing organizations conducted 45,000 tests in 2022.
- 21% of Black renters reported discrimination in housing search 2022.
- Hispanic renters faced denial rates 1.5x higher in audits 2022.
- Asian American complaints rose 20% post-COVID in 2022.
- Disability accommodation denials comprised 60% of cases in 2022.
- FHA settlements totaled $150 million in victim compensation FY 2022.
- 15 states have source of income protections as of 2023.
- HUD investigated 8,000+ systemic discrimination cases in 2022.
- Familial status protections covered 75% of FHA complaints in 2022.
- DOJ filed 28 new pattern-or-practice housing cases in FY 2022.
- Fair housing training reached 500,000 individuals via HUD in 2022.
- 28% of LGBTQ+ renters reported discrimination in 2022 surveys.
- Native American housing discrimination complaints up 10% in 2022.
- HUD's Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST program inspected 2,000 multifamily dwellings in 2022.
- Retaliation complaints numbered 800 under FHA in FY 2022.
Fair Housing and Discrimination Interpretation
The sobering landscape of FY 2022 reveals a nation still struggling to provide equal housing, where a 92% settlement rate and $150 million in compensation underscore a system working overtime to treat symptoms—from a sharp rise in sexual harassment to disability being the top complaint—of a persistent disease of discrimination.
Homelessness
- The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) documented 653,104 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, a 12.1% increase from 2022.
- Among the homeless population in 2023, 22.5% were chronically homeless, totaling 146,923 individuals.
- Unsheltered homelessness rose by 7% in 2023, affecting 252,641 people across the U.S.
- In 2023, 59.4% of homeless individuals were sheltered, equating to 388,463 people.
- Family households experiencing homelessness numbered 189,000 members in 2023, representing 28.9% of the total homeless population.
- Veterans comprised 5.5% of the homeless population in 2023, or 35,000 individuals.
- Unaccompanied youth under 25 accounted for 6.5% of homeless individuals in 2023, totaling 42,500 people.
- Black or African American individuals made up 32% of the homeless population in 2023 despite being 13% of the U.S. population.
- In California, 181,399 people experienced homelessness in 2023, the highest in the nation.
- New York reported 91,271 homeless individuals in 2023.
- The rate of homelessness increased by 18% in 2023 among Black individuals.
- During 2023, 40 states and DC saw increases in homelessness, with 26 exceeding the national 12% average.
- Sheltered homelessness decreased by 2.4% in 2023 to 388,463 people.
- In 2023, emergency shelter capacity housed 232,638 homeless individuals.
- Transitional housing served 30,288 people experiencing homelessness in 2023.
- Permanent supportive housing accommodated 212,917 homeless individuals in 2023.
- In 2023, 9.8% of homeless people were Hispanic or Latino.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander individuals represented 2.1% of the homeless population in 2023.
- Homelessness among unaccompanied adults increased by 15.5% in 2023.
- Parenting women experiencing homelessness rose by 35% in 2023 to 27,821.
- In 2023, Florida had 25,959 homeless individuals.
- Texas reported 22,993 homeless people in 2023.
- Washington state saw a 25% increase in homelessness to 28,389 in 2023.
- In 2023, 52% of homeless individuals were men.
- Women accounted for 40.8% of the homeless population in 2023.
- Non-binary or gender non-conforming individuals were 0.9% of homeless in 2023.
- In 2023, 1.2% of homeless people were age 55 and older.
- Youth aged 18-24 comprised 4.2% of homeless in 2023.
- The 2023 PIT count showed a 41% increase in homelessness in 11 communities with populations over 1 million.
- Continuum of Care programs received $3.2 billion in Continuum of Care funding in FY 2023.
Homelessness Interpretation
The 2023 AHAR report paints a stark and widening crack in the national foundation, where a 12% surge in overall homelessness obscences even sharper crises, from a 35% spike in homeless parenting women to the systemic failure evidenced by Black Americans being 32% of the homeless population while only 13% of the nation.
Housing Affordability
- In 2022, the median home price was $393,500, up 2.7% from 2021.
- Renters facing severe housing cost burden (paying over 50% of income on rent) increased to 9.0 million households in 2022.
- In 2022, 48.9% of renter households were cost-burdened (over 30% of income on housing).
- The national rent median was $1,348 per month in Q4 2022, up 7% year-over-year.
- In 2022, 22.8 million households (17%) were moderately or severely housing cost-burdened.
- Low-income renters (below 50% AMI) had a 72% cost burden rate in 2022.
- In major metros like New York, 53% of renters were cost-burdened in 2022.
- Homeownership rate for households earning under $50,000 was 49% in 2022.
- The affordability gap for low-income renters required $12,700 annual subsidy per household in 2022.
- In 2022, 5.38 million very low-income renter households competed for 3.6 million affordable units.
- Median Asking Rent for 2-bedroom units was $1,489 in 2023.
- Housing wage for a 2-bedroom rental was $28.95/hour nationally in 2023.
- In California, 56% of households were housing cost-burdened in 2022.
- New York had 53.3% renter cost burden in 2022.
- The U.S. home price-to-income ratio reached 5.6 in Q3 2022.
- In 2022, 12.1 million renter households paid over 50% of income on rent.
- Extremely low-income renters (below 30% AMI) had 83% cost burden rate in 2022.
- The number of affordable homes for low-income renters declined by 2.1 million since 2001.
- In 2023, minimum wage workers could afford rent in zero metro areas for a 2-bedroom.
- Senior households (65+) with cost burden rose to 28% in 2022.
- Black renters had 51% severe cost burden rate in 2022.
- Hispanic renters faced 46% cost burden in 2022.
- Home price appreciation was 5.2% year-over-year in 2022.
- Rent growth outpaced wage growth by 3x in 2022.
- In 2022, 7.8 million low-income households had no affordable housing options.
- The national Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom was $1,506 in FY 2023.
Housing Affordability Interpretation
The dream of owning a home drifts further out of reach while renting becomes a financial chokehold for millions, painting a portrait of an American housing market where the foundation is cracking under the weight of its own cost.
Mortgage and Homeownership
- In 2023, 67% of home purchase loans were FHA-insured.
- FHA originations reached 930,000 loans totaling $383 billion in FY 2023.
- Homeownership rate was 65.7% in Q4 2023.
- First-time homebuyer share was 32% of purchases in 2023.
- Median sales price of existing homes was $389,800 in 2023.
- FHA 203(b) mortgages accounted for 85% of FHA single-family endorsements in FY 2023.
- Delinquency rate on FHA loans was 10.6% in Q4 2023.
- VA loans comprised 12% of all purchase mortgages in 2023.
- Conventional loans dominated refinances at 70% in 2023.
- Black homeownership rate was 44.1% in 2023.
- Hispanic homeownership reached 49.1% in 2023.
- Asian homeownership rate was 63.0% in 2023.
- White non-Hispanic homeownership was 73.6% in 2023.
- Home equity reached $33 trillion nationally in Q3 2023.
- 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.8% in 2023.
- FHA streamline refinances totaled 250,000 in FY 2023.
- Reverse mortgages (HECM) had 38,000 endorsements in FY 2023.
- Denial rate for Black applicants was 19.2% for conventional loans in 2022 HMDA data.
- Median loan amount for FHA purchase loans was $295,000 in 2023.
- Existing home sales were 4.09 million units in 2023.
- New home sales totaled 668,000 units in 2023.
- Housing starts averaged 1.41 million units annually in 2023.
- Single-family mortgage debt outstanding was $12.5 trillion in Q3 2023.
- Foreclosure starts were 182,000 in 2023.
- Seriously delinquent mortgages (90+ days) were 3.88% in Q4 2023.
- Homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% in 2023.
- Renter vacancy rate was 6.6% in 2023.
- Millennial homeownership rate hit 52% in 2023.
- FHA market share for first-time buyers was 40% in 2023.
- GSE (Fannie/Freddie) guaranteed 45% of single-family mortgages in 2023.
- Ginnie Mae guaranteed $2.5 trillion in MBS in 2023.
Mortgage and Homeownership Interpretation
While soaring home equity and sales prices paint a picture of prosperity, the market's heavy reliance on FHA loans, coupled with stark racial disparities in homeownership and a concerning FHA delinquency rate, reveals a fragile foundation where many are buying in with government help but struggling to keep up.
Public and Assisted Housing
- As of 2023, HUD funded 1.2 million public housing units nationwide.
- The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program served 2.3 million low-income households in 2023.
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) contracts covered 1.3 million units in FY 2023.
- HUD's public housing portfolio included 860,000 units managed by 3,100 PHAs in 2023.
- The Section 202 program provided 404,000 units for elderly in 2023.
- Section 811 provided 26,000 units for persons with disabilities as of 2023.
- RAD conversions reached 180,000 public housing units by end of 2023.
- HCV utilization rate was 93% nationally in FY 2023.
- 48% of HCV households included at least one working adult in 2022.
- Public housing residents numbered 1.6 million in 2023.
- Average public housing unit size was 1.9 persons per unit in 2023.
- 55% of public housing residents were elderly or disabled in 2023.
- New York City Housing Authority managed 175,000 units in 2023.
- Chicago Housing Authority oversaw 21,000 public housing units in 2023.
- HUD awarded $40 billion in total rental assistance in FY 2023.
- Section 8 project-based units totaled 1.2 million in 2023.
- 75% of HCV families are headed by working poor in 2023.
- Public housing vacancy rate was 4.5% in 2023.
- Average monthly HCV subsidy was $550 per household in FY 2023.
- Section 202 developments numbered 2,800 nationwide in 2023.
- 32% of public housing units were built before 1980 in 2023.
- HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency program graduated 10,000 participants in 2022.
- PBV units increased by 50,000 through RAD since 2012.
- Elderly public housing residents were 37% of total in 2023.
- Disabled residents comprised 18% in public housing 2023.
- Families with children made up 35% of public housing residents in 2023.
- In FY 2023, HUD funded 50,000 new HCV vouchers.
- Public housing operating subsidy was $4.7 billion in FY 2023.
- Capital fund allocation totaled $1.8 billion for modernization in FY 2023.
Public and Assisted Housing Interpretation
Taken together, these numbers illustrate a vast, patchwork safety net that is simultaneously stretched thin supporting millions of households and critically underfunded relative to the scale of need.
Public and Assisted Housing, source url: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/fund_co
- In FY 2022, HUD allocated $6.5 billion in Capital and Operating Funds to public housing., category: Public and Assisted Housing
Public and Assisted Housing, source url: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/fund_co Interpretation
The Department of Housing and Urban Development placed a $6.5 billion bet on bricks and mortar in 2022, proving that funding the foundation of a home is still the most serious kind of social contract.
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