Family homelessness in the US is on the rise in an alarming sign of how the increasing cost of goods, the ever-tightening housing supply and the end of most pandemic-era benefits are putting pressure on Americans.
Some 72,700 people in families with children were experiencing homelessness in 20 of the largest cities in the nation as of January, a 37.6% jump from a year before, according to an analysis of data provided by jurisdictions. In New York, that figure shot up by two thirds, while Chicago, the District of Columbia and Fort Worth, Texas, also saw outsize increases.
The findings — based on data collected from cities that conducted a count of people staying in shelters or on the streets — show a worsening national picture ahead of a government report due at the end of year. The Housing & Urban Development Department typically releases a full count that includes point-in-time data from more than 400 jurisdictions in December.
