The data was collected from more than 250 homeless service organizations spanning dozens of cities, metropolitan areas and rural regions nationwide. The numbers were based on counts conducted during a single night in January and reflect the situation at that moment.
According to the WSJ, early numbers show that there are more than 550,000 homeless individuals as of January 2024. This marks a 10 percent rise from the same period in 2023 – the highest number since the government began collecting comparable data in 2007. (Related: Homeless encampments make Los Angeles look like a Third World country.)
The WSJ links the growing homeless population directly to the influx of illegal immigrants, many of whom have successfully claimed asylum – and thus protected from deportation – and bused to major cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston and Denver.
Cities that have seen a rise in migrants have also seen public safety concerns grow, as the influx of migrants leads to authorities stretching their resources and letting crime and gang activity escalate.
For instance, in Massachusetts, homeless numbers more than doubled, rising from about 4,430 in 2023 to nearly 12,100, with migrants making up a significant portion of the population housed in hotels and motels. The state expects to spend more than $1 billion on housing migrants this fiscal year, which, in turn, strained local government budgets.
Similar trends have been seen in Chicago, where the homeless population tripled to 18,800, with more than 70 percent being migrants brought into the city from Texas. Meanwhile, Denver has seen its homeless population spike by 42 percent, with reports of migrant gangs exacerbating their struggles. Boston, San Francisco and Seattle have also reported substantial increases in homelessness due to a surge in migrants seeking shelters.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which collects homeless data every year, expects that 2024 is set to surpass the unprecedented homeless count of 653,000 in 2023 – the highest figure since the government began tracking homelessness in 2007.
Homelessness crisis in America driven by other societal and economic factors
Aside from illegal immigration, the WSJ also cited other factors contributing to the growing homeless crisis. These factors include rising fentanyl addiction, skyrocketing housing costs and the expiration of pandemic-era financial assistance programs, which left many families without a safety net.
"It's deeply unfortunate, but it's not surprising," said Diane Yentel, the chief executive at the nonprofit National Low Income Housing Coalition, on the latest homeless increase.
"The rising cost of housing, coupled with escalating expenses like insurance and taxes, is causing more people to experience homelessness. The American Dream, once attainable, is slipping further out of reach," said Professor Stephanie Southworth of Coastal Carolina University.
Southworth further stressed that the lack of affordable housing intertwines with limited access to healthcare, a shortage of living-wage jobs and insufficient public transportation. They also addressed the criminalization of homelessness, exposing how minor offenses, such as sleeping in public spaces, are used to push homeless individuals out of sight.
Visit HomelessAgenda.com for more stories about homelessness in the United States.
Listen to this "Health Ranger Report" Situation Update, with the Health Ranger Mike Adams warning that giant homeless encampments are set to explode across the country.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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