WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates, an annual snapshot of the number of individuals in shelters, temporary housing, and unsheltered settings. The report found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, an 18% increase from 2023.
The findings show homelessness among veterans dropped to the lowest number on record. There was a nearly 8% decrease — from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in 2024 — in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. Among unsheltered veterans, the number dropped nearly 11% – from 15,507 in 2023 to 13,851 in 2024. This year, HUD has helped connect nearly 90,000 veteran households to stable, rental homes through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has permanently housed 47,925 Veterans experiencing homelessness in FY2024 — marking the largest number of veterans housed in a single year since FY 2019.
The Maui fire, in addition to other natural disasters, had an impact on the increase in homelessness. In Hawai’i, more than 5,200 people were sleeping in disaster emergency shelters on the night of the PIT count due to the Maui fire. HUD continues to work diligently with the state of Hawai’i and Maui County through funding and technical assistance to support long-term recovery from the fire. Over the last year, since the PIT Count was conducted, rental costs have stabilized, with rents down in some cities.