February 9, 2023
“An estimated 582,462 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2022,” according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The agency notes that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could have led to a far higher number, but with government outreach and programs to prevent eviction through rental assistance, the national homelessness rate rose only by 0.3% from 2020 to 2022.
The number of unhoused people declined by 8.6%, or 54,615, since 2010, but more persons experience unsheltered homelessness. Two out of every five people without a home were living in an unsheltered setting, with the number of unsheltered homeless persons increasing by 3.4% from 2020 to 233,832 in 2022. As HUD points out, “the rise in unsheltered homelessness outpaced the decrease in sheltered homeless persons.”
A reported 24,432 people were experiencing homelessness in Texas in January 2022, and an estimated 44.9% of them were unsheltered, the 12th largest share among the 50 states.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Texas has declined by 10.3% since 2020 and is down by 30.4% since 2010.
All data in this story is from the Office of Policy Development and Research.
