HUD released on December 15 the 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), Part 1, which provides estimates of homelessness in the U.S. The 2023 report estimates that approximately 653,100 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023 – a 12% increase (or about 70,650 more people) from 2022. Among people experiencing homelessness, 60% were staying in sheltered locations, while 40% were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not meant for human habitation. The 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) count is the highest number of people reported as being unhoused since reporting began in 2007.
The AHAR summarizes estimates of homelessness at the national, state, and Continuum of Care (CoC) levels based on data from the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) counts of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023. CoCs are local planning bodies responsible for coordinating homelessness services. The PIT counts, conducted by local volunteers, provide a “snapshot” of homelessness.
The increase in homelessness at the beginning of 2023 continued a pre-pandemic trend that held from 2016 to 2020. The “American Rescue Plan” – the largest single-year investment in preventing and ending homelessness in our country’s history – prevented an increase in homelessness between 2020 and 2022. Most of these resources have expired, however, contributing to the rise in homelessness reflected in the 2023 AHAR Part 1.
Unlike past years, when a single population drove changes in homelessness rates, the report finds increases across all populations. Most people experiencing homelessness were individuals, making up 72% of people experiencing homelessness. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness increased by 23,000 people, or 11%. The number of individuals experiencing sheltered homelessness increased by about 15,000, or 7%. Nearly 28% of people experiencing homelessness (186,100) were in families composed of at least one adult and one child. The number of families experiencing homelessness rose by 16% (more than 25,000 people) between 2022 and 2023, ending a downward trend that began in 2012. This increase in family homelessness was driven by a 17% increase (24,966 more people) in the number of families experiencing sheltered homelessness.
People who identify as Black, Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian continue to be overrepresented among the homeless population compared to the U.S. population. People who identify as Black, for example, represent 13% of the U.S. population but accounted for 37% of all people experiencing homelessness, and 50% of families experiencing homelessness in 2023 identified as Black. Nearly one-third of all people experiencing homelessness identified as Hispanic or Latino. People identifying as Hispanic or Latino increased by 28% (39,106 people) between 2022 and 2023, making up 55% of the total increase in people experiencing homelessness. People who identify as Asian or Asian American experienced the greatest percentage increase among all people experiencing homelessness, representing a 40% increase (3,313 more people) between 2022 and 2023. American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous populations also experienced a large percentage increase in both sheltered and unsheltered experiences of individual homelessness between 2022 and 2023, both of which rose by 18-19% (or 2,860 people total).
Approximately one-third (31%) of all individuals experiencing homelessness (143,105 people) reported having experienced chronic patterns of homelessness. Two-thirds of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness (93,000 people) were in unsheltered locations. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of unaccompanied youth increased by 15% (4,613 more youths). According to the report, more than 98,000 people experiencing homelessness were aged 55 to 64, and nearly 39,700 people were over age 64. Nearly half of adults of age 55 and older experiencing homelessness were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not meant for human habitation. In 2023, 35,574 veterans were experiencing homelessness, marking a 7% increase (2,445 more veterans) between 2023 and 2023. Despite increases in veteran homelessness between 2022 and 2023, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness is 52% lower than it was in 2009.
The rise in overall homelessness is largely due to a sharp increase in the number of people who became homeless for the first time. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of people who became newly homeless rose by 25%, even though the number of people who exited homelessness to permanent housing rose by 8%. This increase in first-time homelessness is likely due to a combination of factors, namely the expiration of pandemic-era protections and resources, the worsening affordable housing crisis, and recent changes in the rental housing market.
The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1 is available at: https://tinyurl.com/yc5rnbnd
A summary of the report’s findings is available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdd4rryp
NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a joint statement on the 2023 AHAR Report, Part 1: https://tinyurl.com/mu5t5fwn