Joe Biden is denying the existence of another crisis, which is homelessness. In the last year, the number of homeless people has increased by 12%. The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported in a recent report that numbers rose for “all household types.” Axios reported this:

According to the report, 650,000 people were homeless on a single January night. This figure is “the highest reported number of homeless people on a single evening since the reporting began in 2007”, according to the report.

The report also contains other findings:

• In 2023, black people will make up 13% (or 13 million) of the U.S. populace, but 21% (or 21 million) of that population will be living in poverty. They also account for 37% of those who are homeless and 50% of the homeless families with children.
• Homelessness among Asians and Asian Americans increased by 40% between 2022 and 2011, to 11,574.
• Hispanics and Latinos saw the biggest numerical increase. Up 28% in 2022, to 179,336 people in 2023.

CNN says that rents are on the rise, and this is why homelessness has reached record levels.

In a recent statement, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said that homelessness was solvable in the United States and shouldn’t exist. “We have made progress, but more needs to be done.” These data highlight the urgent need to support proven solutions and strategies that help people exit homelessness quickly and prevent homelessness from occurring in the first instance.

What would be “positive steps”? Secretary Fudge was a member of Congress before becoming a secretary. Her specialty seems to be “fudging” statistics.

Latinos experienced the largest increase in homelessness. In 2023, there were 28% fewer Latinos without housing than in the previous year. This group accounted for 55% of all the increase in US homeless, with 39.106 more Latinos being without housing.

The survey found that the number of first-time homeless people has increased dramatically.

According to the HUD, between fiscal years 2021 and 20, the number of people who were newly homeless increased from 8% to 25%.

It is impossible to “solve” homelessness without massive investments in affordable housing. There must be a concerted attempt to address the mental health crisis on the streets. We cannot continue to listen to people who claim that mentally ill individuals don’t belong to institutions.

There will be a huge homeless problem until there are enough beds available in mental health centers to treat those who need them.