Kaiden Hickson
One of several major areas in need of improvement in the U.S. is homelessness. According to the January 2022 PIT count, there are over 580,000 homeless people across the country, and that number has steadily been on the rise over the past six years. A large percentage of homeless people are mentally disabled, physically disabled, and/or part of a marginalized group.
This data may seem bleak, and is certainly depressing, however, we must take a step back and look at the progress we've made in terms of homelessness. By looking into the past, we can assess what we've done right and what could've used changes.
Linked here is an interactive map that depicts the percent of housed people in each U.S. County. On the right, 2000 Census data is used, and on the left, 2020 Census data is used. To explore the map further, move the center line horizontally to reveal what different counties were like in 2020 and 2000. Click on specific counties to bring up numerical data about homelessness!
We can see that there is a general change across the map that unhoused rates have gone down. There are many reasons why this may be.
Since 2000, more and more people have become aware of the problem of homelessness, and greater numbers of bills and actions have been taken to address the it, such as in 2003, 2009, and 2010.
Also, through the last 20 years, federal spending on Homeless Assistance had increased over three times, from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $3.6 billion in 2023 according to fiscal reports.
| Year | Federal Spending on Homeless Assistance |
|---|---|
| 2000 | $1.129 billion |
| 2013 | $2.033 billion |
| 2023 | $3.633 billion |
The table above shows the increased spending on homeless assistance over the years.
During these 20 years, many individual places have begun trial-and-error programs to reduce homelessness. Some have failed, but others, such as the Housing First approach of New York City, have effectively lowered homelessness rates, and have been implemented across the country.
But even though we have made much progress on this matter, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who are living without homes. If you wish to learn more about the issue of homelessness in the United States, and would like to help out, take a look at the following websites and organizations.
National Alliance to End Homelessness
But most importantly... vote! If you have the ability to vote, make sure you do your research. Find out which politicians pledges to take steps to solve homelessness.
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