Economy

This City Has The Most Homeless People In America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: December 16, 2023 7:55 am

Last Updated: December 16, 2023 9:27 am

The problem of homelessness in America got worse, as it rose 12% from last year, according to a new study released by HUD, to 653,000. According to The Wall Street Journal, the figures marked the largest increase and highest level of homelessness since the agency started to track numbers in 2007. The city hit the hardest was New York, where the count was 88,025. Not only was New York at the top of the list, but the surge was an extraordinary 42.3% or 26,185. The figures are based on data taken one night last January. New York City is not the state’s poorest town, but a smaller city is.

Among the reasons for the increase are high rents and evictions that have risen since the pandemic, when it was harder for landlords to throw tenants out. CNN reports that Peggy Bailey, vice president for Housing and Income Security at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said, “We must address the main driver of homelessness and housing instability — the gap between low incomes and rent costs,”

There are several studies about rental costs from city to city in the US. Some show New York as the highest. One survey puts the nation’s largest metro figure at over $3,600. In other studies, San Francisco and San Jose are slightly higher, but their total populations are a fraction of New York’s. These are the 23 cities with the most expensive rents. 

“The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report To Congress” examined the problem by city size, race, age, status as military veterans, and families with children. Among this last group, “Nearly three of every 10 people experiencing homelessness (28% or roughly 186,100 people) did so as part of a family with children.”

The figures for New York State are also staggering. It had a homelessness count of 103,200. That compares to the state with the highest figure, California, at 181,399. However, California’s population is about 39.1 million. New York State’s is 19.7 million.

Rents will continue to increase throughout most of America in 2023. And mortgage rates have driven up housing prices. Since these are major triggers of the homelessness problem, it is not likely to get better next year.