HUD Releases January 2023 Point-in-Time Count Report
Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report: Part 1, which provides an annual snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings. The report found more than 650,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023—a 12% increase from 2022.
The rise in homelessness at the beginning of 2023 continued a pre-pandemic trend from 2016 to 2020. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP)—the largest single-year investment in addressing homelessness in U.S. history—prevented a rise in homelessness between 2020 and 2022. Many of these ARP resources have now expired or wound down, which has contributed to the increase in homelessness.
HUD data indicates that the rise in overall homelessness is largely due to a sharp rise in the number of people who became homeless for the first time. Between federal fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the number of people who became newly homeless increased by 25%, even as the number of people who exited homelessness to permanent housing increased by 8%. This rise in first-time homelessness is likely attributable to a combination of factors, including but not limited to, the recent changes in the rental housing market and the winding down of pandemic protections and programs focused on preventing evictions and housing loss. Most notably, rental housing conditions were extraordinarily challenging in the year preceding the January 2023 PIT count with rents increased at more than twice the rate of recent years, an increase of median rent of more than 9% between 2021 and 2022. This rate of rent growth has now moderated thanks to housing under construction becoming available for rent in the coming year, but the supply shortage of 2022 likely contributed to this increase in rents and homelessness in 2022.
“Homelessness is solvable and should not exist in the United States,” said Secretary Marcia Fudge. “From day one, this administration has put forth a comprehensive plan to tackle homelessness and we’ve acted aggressively and in conjunction with our federal, state, and local partners to address this challenge. We’ve made positive strides, but there is still more work to be done. This data underscores the urgent need for support for proven solutions and strategies that help people quickly exit homelessness and that prevent homelessness in the first place.”
"Even in communities where homelessness is rising, it doesn’t mean they aren’t helping people exit homelessness. In many cases, the problem is that for every person who moves off the street and into a home, more than one loses a home and becomes homeless. The 2023 PIT data illustrates this, and until we close the doors to homelessness, we will not end it. That is why preventing homelessness is a priority for this administration and a major part of All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness," said USICH Executive Director Jeff Olivet in a written statement today that includes a list of the administration's major investments and initiatives since this data was collected.
Click to read HUD's full announcement.
Along with the report, HUD also released a fact sheet summarizing the data, a fact sheet on the key findings, and a fact sheet highlighting communities where homelessness declined from 2022 to 2023.