HUD Annual Report to Congress: Slight Increase in Homelessness in 2022 Abt’s Analysis Finds Overrepresentation by Race Persists

Rockville, Md.  –  Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that, on a single night in 2022, roughly 582,500 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. The point-in-time (PIT) data serves as the benchmark for determining the number of people experiencing homelessness.  The number is reported each year in part one of HUD’s two-part Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR), which is produced by Abt Global. This year’s PIT data shows a slight increase over the number of people experiencing homelessness in 2020, the last such dataset unaffected by COVID. Additional key findings include:

• On a single night in 2022, at least 233,000 people were counted in unsheltered locations (e.g., on the street, in abandoned buildings, or other places not suitable for human habitation), a 3-percent increase over 2020. This continues an upward trend in the number of people staying in unsheltered locations since 2016. The number of people staying in sheltered locations, however, was 2 percent lower in 2022 than in 2020. This reflects the continued impact of COVID-related policies on the capacity of community shelter systems. People in sheltered locations, such as emergency shelters or transitional housing programs still accounted for 60 percent of those experiencing homelessness, while the remaining 40 percent were unsheltered.
• There continues to be a dramatic overrepresentation of people of color. People who identify as Black made up just 12 percent of the total U.S. population but comprised 37 percent of all people experiencing homelessness. When counting only families (with children) who are experiencing homelessness, 50 percent are Black. Meanwhile, almost a quarter of all people experiencing homelessness, 24 percent, were Hispanic or Latino—an 8-percent increase since 2020 (approximately 14 percent of the general population identified as such in the most recently available Census data). 
  The number of people identifying as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous—already overrepresented in the homeless population—grew 4 percent, and there was a 19 percent increase among Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders.
• The number of veterans experiencing homelessness continues to decline, this year by 11 percent from 2020. The 40,238 veterans experiencing homelessness represent a 55-percent drop from 2009, when these data were first reported.
• More than 30,000 people under the age of 25 experienced homelessness on their own as “unaccompanied youth.” Slightly more than half of these youth (57 percent) were in sheltered locations. Most (91 percent) were between the ages of 18 and 24. Four percent of the unaccompanied youth population identifies as transgender, not singularly female or male, or gender questioning, compared with 1 percent of all individuals experiencing homeless.

“We’ve made progress with veterans and families with children, but marginalized populations, such as people of color, continue to be dramatically over-represented, telling us where we need to provide extra support,” noted Abt’s project director, Senior Associate Meghan Henry. “Additionally, the AHAR and other data show that people experiencing homelessness are increasingly vulnerable, with growing rates of disability and longer stays in shelters. The 2021 AHAR part-two report, coming in mid-2023, will provide more information on this concerning trend.”

About Abt Global
Abt Global is a global consulting and research firm that combines data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people's lives. We partner with clients and communities to advance equity and innovation—from creating scalable digital solutions and combatting infectious disease, to mitigating climate change and evaluating programs for measurable social impact. https://www.abtglobal.com

Contact: 
Eric Tischler
eric_tischler@abtassoc.com
(301) 347-5492