The United States’ homeless population reportedly increased at its highest rate ever this year, the latest sign that the nation is fighting a serious homelessness epidemic.
According to an examination of national data by the Wall Street Journal, the number of homeless persons increased nationwide by roughly 11% this year, the biggest increase in more than 15 years since the government first began keeping track of the data.
By analyzing data from more than 300 organizations that measure the homeless population, The Journal has so far this year identified more than 577,000 individuals as homeless.
The second-highest increase in the number of homeless persons, excluding the first year of the COVID epidemic, occurred in 2019 and was 2.7%.
The homeless epidemic is a result of a long variety of variables, namely growing housing costs.
Advocates claim that because COVID assistance has ended and eviction moratoria have been abolished, housing prices have become a more pressing cause of homelessness.
Since the epidemic, rents have increased, and prices are still expensive and out of many Americans’ reach.
Another factor contributing to the nation’s drug addiction epidemic is homelessness.
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