The United States faces another potential record in 2024 regarding its homeless population. Preliminary data collected and examined by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) showed that the number of individuals residing in encampments, on streets, and in shelters has increased since 2023. The newspaper published this information on Saturday.
The figures were obtained from over 250 homeless-service organizations covering cities, metro areas, and expansive rural regions. These numbers are meant to reflect homelessness as it existed during a single night early this year. The Journal’s count currently stands at approximately 550,000 homeless people, representing an increase of around 10% compared to last year’s reported figures from these locations.
The current trend suggests that the United States is likely to surpass the roughly 653,000 homeless individuals estimated in 2023—the highest number since the government began reporting comparable data back in 2007. The final count will depend on data from areas that have not yet shared their numbers for this year. New York City, which reported the highest number in 2023, is one such location.
Migrants bused by Texas to Chicago and Denver contributed to the latest increases when they landed in shelters there,” the article stated, adding that migrants have arrived in significant numbers in New York, which has long had a legal right to shelter. This has resulted in swelling numbers of homeless people being counted last year. The counts were primarily conducted in January following a surge in illegal border crossings.
The number of homeless individuals has risen alongside the number of people crossing the border illegally before claiming asylum and being bused to major cities throughout the United States. Their arrival has placed a financial burden on taxpayers while also bringing crime and gang violence, according to a New York Post report published on Sunday.
It is essential to note that Democrats have been including the substantial number of illegal migrants in their political descriptions of “all Americans,” as reported by Breitbart News on September 1. A Breitbart News article published in July claimed, “More working Americans are going homeless amid ‘Bidenomics,’ says a July 28 report in the Washington Post, which also noted that policy experts admit the homeless crisis is being worsened by the Democrats’ pro-migration policies.