Between 2022 and 2024, the U.S. saw a record 43% rise in “sheltered homelessness”—staying in some sort of emergency shelter, as opposed to living on the street. That is shocking enough on its own, but according to a new study, a contemporaneous spike in asylum seekers accounted for a stunning 60% of that increase.
“Asylum seekers”—as referenced in the study—are all recent immigrants seeking residence in the U.S., regardless of their legal status.
Unsheltered homelessness has been on the rise since 2015, but sheltered homelessness had declined by 12% from 2007 to 2022 before its sudden 43% spike between 2022 and 2024.
According to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the total homeless population in the U.S. increased by about 189,000 from 2022 to 2024 (from about 582,000 to about 771,000). Most of that increase came from a 149,000…
