All the research below is up to date.

1. A broader measure of housing insecurity, which is not included in the official street/shelter count, found that 1.4 million children and youth were identified as experiencing homelessness by public schools during the 2022-2023 school year [1].
2. Geographic Concentration: As of the 2024 count, more than half (54%) of the nation’s homeless population were located in the Continuums of Care (local planning bodies) that contain the 50 largest cities in the United States [2].
3. Divergent Trends: While homelessness among veterans has declined 55% since 2009 due to targeted resources, chronic homelessness (long-term, disabled individuals) reached its highest recorded level in 2024 [3].
4. Local Prevention Costs: A local homeless coalition in Houston, Texas, stated that an estimated minimum of $50 million per year (beyond federal funds) was necessary to maintain their prevention efforts and keep the homeless population from rising significantly in 2026 [4].
5. An estimated 150 million individuals, or 2% of the global population, are homeless [5].
6. 1.6 billion people, or more than 20% of the world’s population, might not have access to suitable housing [5].

 

Sources & Footnotes

1. SchoolHouse Connection (2025). Data Show Dramatic Increases in Family and Youth Homelessness.
2. USAFacts (2025). Which US cities have the largest homeless populations?
3. National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). (2025). HUD Releases 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.
4. Kinder Institute for Urban Research. (2025). Advocates for the homeless set for Houston’s annual count with funding, plan of action in flux.
5. Backpack Bed for Homeless. (n.d.). World Homelessness Day: Global homelessness statistics. https://backpackbed.org/us/world-homelessness-day/