The number of people struggling with homelessness reached a record level in 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development in its annual point-in-time report.
The one-night counts are conducted nationwide each January and capture a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings.
Here are five key findings from The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates released in December 2024:
1. The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2024 was the highest ever recorded. A total of 771,480 people—or about 23 of every 10,000 people in the United States—experienced homelessness in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program, or in unsheltered locations across the country. This is an 18% spike from 2023;
2. On a single night in January 2024, 259,473 people in families with children were experiencing homelessness. This group had the largest single year increase in homelessness. Between 2023 and 2024, 39% more people in families with children experienced homelessness;
3. Veterans were the only population to report continued declines in homelessness. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined by 8%, or 2,692 fewer veterans. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has declined by 55% since data collection about veteran homelessness began in 2009;
4. About one in every five people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2024 was 55 or older. More than 104,000 people experiencing homelessness were between 55 and 64, and just over 42,150 people were over 64. Nearly half of adults aged 55 or older (46%) were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not meant for human habitation; and
5. Between 2023 and 2024, Hawaii had an 87% increase in total homelessness. This was attributed to the number of people needing emergency shelter due to the Maui wildfires, which displaced thousands of people from their homes in 2023. This added over 5,000 people to Maui’s sheltered PIT count as these families were housed in temporary disaster-related emergency shelter housing. Overall, 43 states and the District of Columbia saw increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
