Before Covid, family homelessness had been trending downward
since 2012, which had previously been at record highs due to the 2008 economic
crisis. Leading up to this decreasing trend were dozens of articles and research
studies, intent on examining and informing on the issue, seeking to spread awareness
and discuss possible methods of change.
Now, in the past few years, the 2012 downward trend in
homeless families has stopped, and even been reversed, once again connected to
a period of economic crisis, most notably from the wave of Covid evictions. And
while the general rise in homelessness has been examined closely, there has rarely
been a focus on homeless families, despite the reality that, among the demographics
examined among homelessness, homeless families with children have had an extreme
rise, 16% between 2022 and 2023, and a staggering 39% between 2023 and 2024. In
2023, homeless families accounted for 186,084 individuals, approximately a
third of the total homeless population.
In part because many families experiencing homelessness seek
to avoid being completely unsheltered, it’s a demographic that can often go
overlooked. Rather than the homeless we pass on the street, the familial form
of homelessness tends to take advantage of temporary shelter, either from
organizations, or from friends and family. While this is undoubtedly silver
lining, the issue remains that the rise in homeless families is a significant
problem, and one that seems to have had little focus from studies and articles
in recent years. Most recent articles that do mention homeless families do so
only as a part of examining the wider homeless demographics.
We mustn’t forget that that even sheltered homelessness is
still an issue, even if it is a better result than being on the street.
For more information:
Homelessness in America: Statistics, Analysis, and Trends
https://www.security.org/resources/homeless-statistics/
Fact Sheet: 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report Key
Findings from the Point-in-Time Counts
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/Fact_Sheet_Summarized_Findings.pdf
HUD Releases 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
https://nlihc.org/resource/hud-releases-2024-annual-homeless-assessment-report
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