The results of the November election were driven in large part by a growing sense among American's that the country is moving in the wrong direction under the current leadership, and a new federal agency report shines a light on one key metric in which that is clearly the case.
As the Associated Press reports, officials from the Biden Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed on Friday that the nation witnessed an 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024 alone, with 770,000 individuals lacking a place to live.
The 2024 figures are alarming, particularly given that they build on a disturbing trend that was already underway during the prior year.
Breitbart noted that the aforementioned rise in homelessness over the past year comes in the wake of an additional 12% increase seen in 2023.
The outlet added that the exacerbation of the problem during Biden's time in office was not a natural or inevitable progression, given that reductions in homelessness were seen during the period between 2010 to 2017, but those stopped in recent years, leading to the largest uptick in numbers since this statistic was first measured in 2007.
As the AP explained, the official tally of 770,000 homeless individuals likely represents something of an undercount, given that it fails to include people currently residing with friends or family due to their lack of a residence of their own.
Casting further shadows on Biden's tenure when it comes to the problem of homelessness is the fact that the increase seen in 2023 included a significant share of individuals entering this unfortunate group for the first time in their lives, with Black Americans overrepresented among the unhoused.
The Associated Press indicated that the growth in homelessness during the last two years of the Biden administration was due, in part, to a lack of affordable housing stock along with natural disasters that displaced more Americans than in the recent past.
However, the HUD report also acknowledged another key driver of the increase, namely, the pressure on housing caused by an influx in immigration.
The agency noted in its assessment, “Some communities reported data to HUD that indicated that the rise in overall homelessness was a result of their work to shelter a rising number of asylum seekers coming into their communities.”
HUD added, “Migration had a particularly notable impact on family homelessness, which rose 39% from 2023-2024. In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled.”
Democrat-led cities that have touted sanctuary status were especially hard hit, with the AP noting, “Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness – one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City.
According to Robert Marbut, Jr., who once served as the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the roughly 33% increase in the problem since Biden took office is “disgraceful,” and he suggests a renewed focus on “treatment of substance abuse and mental illness” and to reinstate job training requirements for those seeking help.
Though HUD's Adrianne Todman said upon release of the agency's report that “no American should face homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring every family has access to the affordable, safe and quality housing they deserve,” it is increasingly clear that the current president's policies have only succeeded in undermining that goal.
