Overview

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports 771,480 people were homeless in the U.S. in 2024, marking an 18% rise from 2023 and a 33% jump since 2020.
• The report identifies the expiration of pandemic-era programs like eviction moratoriums, rental assistance, and expanded tax credits as key contributors to the crisis, alongside inflation and a lack of affordable housing.
• Blue states like California, New York, and Illinois experienced the largest increases in homelessness, with critics pointing to high housing costs, restrictive zoning laws, and ineffective spending as exacerbating factors.
• The Biden administration attributed part of the rise to immigration, though HUD's data shows increases across all demographics and cites broader economic and policy failures as primary drivers.
• Red states such as Texas and Florida saw smaller increases in homelessness, with some analysts crediting targeted programs like addiction treatment and transitional housing for better outcomes.