The United States faces its largest surge in homelessness of all time with a record 11% annual increase. Factors such as rising costs, lack of housing, and the border crisis are contributing to the crisis, alongside issues like crime and drug abuse.
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The U.S. has recorded a concerning 11% surge in homelessness within just a year, with nearly 600,000 individuals now living on the streets, as per a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
This dramatic rise from 2022 to 2023 marks the most significant spike since the federal government began recording these statistics in 2007.
Hotspots like Oakland and San Francisco in California have seen a notable increase in what’s been termed ‘drug tourism.’
According to Seneca Scott, founder of Neighbors Together Oakland, many newcomers are attracted to these cities due to “safe and easy access to their drug of choice” and the ability to commit thefts to support their drug habits.
Scott mentioned to Fox, “Our homeless crisis has helped deteriorate our property value. If you combine that with the eviction moratorium and other government policies, we have a situation now where the property values of people are plummeting.”
Notably, Oakland has witnessed its homeless population soar by 50% since 2015, city data indicates.
Los Angeles and Seattle, too, are grappling with increasing numbers. LA’s downtown areas are struggling with makeshift tent cities, where many are found involved in drug activities.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reports that there are currently about 42,260 individuals homeless in the city – a staggering 10% increase from the previous year.
The opioid crisis has exacerbated the situation, with city officials resorting to dispatching mobile teams equipped with oxygen to Skid Row to combat overdoses. Over the last decade, LA has seen its homeless population more than double.
Seattle’s situation is equally grim. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) faces criticism as hundreds of tiny homes meant for the homeless remain unused in storage. Komo News highlighted that 204 such homes are currently locked and guarded, despite a 38% surge in homelessness from 2020 to 2022 in the city.
The ongoing homeless crisis is also fueled by fading pandemic relief programs. Although the U.S. had implemented eviction bans and other measures during the pandemic, the waning of these initiatives has deepened the housing issue.
Compounding the problem are escalating costs, limited available housing, and the border crisis. New York City, for instance, sees about 2,300 illegal immigrants arriving from the border weekly, which places a significant strain on already scarce housing resources.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is anticipated to release formal figures on the issue later this year.
The homeless situation in America is out of control with no end in sight. Many of these cities have experienced the very real downside of their “defund the police” efforts, lack of prosecution and a drug problem that exacerbates crime.
For law abiding citizens, it is a complete disaster all the way around with plummeting home prices and exorbitant taxes that do not even scratch the surface towards abating the crisis.
