On NPR's Friday broadcast of “All Things Considered,” NPR national correspondent Jennifer Ludden said the Department of Housing and Urban Development's report that found record numbers of homeless people was “widely considered to be an undercount.” “There is,” he said. And, according to HUD officials, the biggest factor behind the record numbers is “the soaring rents we've seen over the past few years.” They also note the recent increase in immigrants coming to the United States without a place to live.
Ludden said the numbers are “compiled across the country every January.” Compiled by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And this year, 770,000 people were found to be living in shelters, outdoors on the streets, in parks or in their cars. This is an 18% increase over last year and the highest number since we began producing this report in 2007. … It should also be noted that this is an undercount. It is widely considered to be an undercount. This is a snapshot of our one night stay at each location. That doesn't include people who may crowd together with family and friends. ”
she continued. “Now, to explain this rise, HUD officials and others point above all to the soaring rents we have seen in recent years. It also cites the recent increase in migrants, especially migrant families, and extreme weather disasters, such as last year's fires on Maui.
He added that officials believe that number may have been lower than in that snapshot. “First, because in June, President Biden took steps to limit asylum claims and limit illegal border crossings,” he added. Since then, cities like Denver, Chicago and New York, which were actually overrun with asylum seekers, have seen a dramatic drop in migrants in shelters, HUD officials report. The number of homeless veterans also fell to an all-time low this year. This is one bright spot in the report, with significant spending being done on their housing subsidies. The rent won't go up that much either. In some places it's even lower. ”
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