December 28, 2024, Tampa, Florida, USA: Homeless men and women gather under an interstate bridge in downtown Tampa where volunteers and ministries distribute food and clothing items every Saturday. The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday..That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S., with Black people being over represented among the homeless population. (Credit Image: © Robin Rayne/ZUMA Press Wire)
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