The Invisible Factors Driving US Homelessness to Record Highs
A new federal report on homelessness includes its first-ever breakdown by age. But data is still absent on other major factors, like migrants in shelters.
A breakdown of US homelessness by age shows one in six homeless people are nearing retirement age.
Photographer: Mel Melcon/Los Angeles TimesHomelessness in the US reached a grim milestone in 2023. A new report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development registered the largest number of homeless people nationwide since counting began more than 15 years ago.
The federal government’s latest figures paint a stark picture of growing precarity, with a 12% spike in the homeless population from last year to this year. That includes a sharp rise in the number of families with children in shelters: about 25,000 people total, an increase of 17% and a break from a decade-long decline in family homelessness.