Official report shows increased homelessness, lack of affordable housing in US

NEW YORK - Homelessness in the United States has exploded in recent years and sky-high housing prices and low wages are a part of the problem, ABC has reported, citing reports from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Ann Olivia from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, explained that "data shows that more than half of sheltered people and 40 percent of unsheltered people (are) experiencing homelessness work, but still can't afford housing."

Homelessness was on the rise even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and "the significant economic instability brought by COVID-19 and reports of crisis from homeless service providers on the front lines have only heightened concerns," congressman Emanuel Cleaver was quoted as saying.

In its annual report to Congress, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development also said that "sheltered homelessness" fell by 8 percent in 2021 compared to the year before.