The Homeless Epidemic in America

Before the sun comes up, a mother in a parking lot reaches into the back seat for her children’s school clothes. They slept in the car again. She has to find a restroom where they can wash up, figure out what they’ll eat, and get them to school on time. When the teacher asks how their morning went, one of the children says, “Fine.” What else is a child supposed to say?

When we picture homelessness in America, many of us think of the person sitting on a sidewalk with a cup. There is also the family sleeping in a car, the older woman living in an RV because she can no longer afford an apartment, and the man who keeps his work clothes in a bag inside his tent. Some people spend the day trying to keep their circumstances private. By evening, they are looking for a place where they can sleep without being told to move.

How many people are actually homeless in America? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 745,652 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2025, including 266,320 who were unsheltered. The total was down from 771,480 in January 2024. That decline matters, and so does the fact that nearly three-quarters of a million people were counted on one winter night. hud.gov

The federal count gives us a snapshot. Someone who lost housing in February would be outside that January snapshot, and people sleeping in vehicles can be hard for outreach teams to find. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has found that the count likely underestimates homelessness. We can say how many people HUD counted. The full number of people who experience homelessness over the course of a year is harder to pin down. U.S. GAO

Children are often among the easiest to overlook. Public schools identified more than 1.5 million students experiencing homelessness during the 2023–24 school year. The education count covers an entire school year and includes children temporarily sharing someone else’s housing because their families lost their own. Behind that number are students trying to finish homework, keep track of school supplies, and get enough sleep while their families figure out where they will stay. nche.ed.gov

Being out of work can turn a tight month into a housing emergency. An employer can take weeks to respond to an application while the landlord still expects the rent on the first. A job opening may be across town, beyond the reach of someone without a car or reliable transit. Add a health problem, the cost of childcare, or an unpredictable schedule, and even getting to the interview can take more money and planning than a household has left.

How many people work while homeless? A national study that linked 2010 Census observations to employment records found that nearly half of the adults studied had formal employment during the same year they were observed experiencing homelessness. That finding tells us how common paid work was in the study group. It cannot tell us how many people experiencing homelessness are working today or whether they were employed on the exact night they were counted. Becker Friedman Institute

In 2026, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated that a full-time worker needed to earn $29.19 an hour for a modest one-bedroom rental and $34.73 an hour for a modest two-bedroom rental at national fair-market rents, using the benchmark of spending no more than 30 percent of income on housing. The average renter earned $24.84 an hour. A worker can put in a full week and still come home to a rent bill that takes too much of the paycheck. National Low Income Housing Coalition

The economy looks different when you have to decide which bill will be late. A rent increase can wipe out a raise. A car repair can take the money set aside for a security deposit. For renters with extremely low incomes, the National Low Income Housing Coalition found only 35 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 households in 2026. A family can spend weeks calling landlords and still find nowhere within reach. National Low Income Housing Coalition

People are often told to call for help. Imagine making those calls all morning, repeating the details of how you fell behind, and hearing that the funds are exhausted or the waiting list is closed. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that only about one in four households that qualify for housing assistance receive it. A referral may give someone another number to call. The rent is still due while they wait for an answer. National Low Income Housing Coalition

A car can give a family a place to close the doors at night. An RV can offer a little more room, if there is somewhere to park it and money to keep it running. Both come with questions most people get to leave at the front door. Where can we use the bathroom after midnight? Where can I wash my child’s hair? What happens if the engine quits and the vehicle is also our bedroom?

In a tent city, people may share water, look after one another’s belongings, or tell a neighbor where a meal is being served. They still have to get through heavy rain, cold nights, and days without an easy place to wash or charge a phone. If an encampment is cleared and people have nowhere else to go, the next night may be spent in another tent, farther from the bus stop or the outreach workers who knew where to find them.

People ask whether homelessness has become a crime because they see people ticketed or arrested for acts that come with having nowhere to sleep. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that enforcing generally applicable public-camping laws does not violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling concerned laws regulating conduct on public property. For someone who has nowhere indoors to sleep, the immediate question is where they can legally lie down. supremecourt.gov

The arrests are real. In Louisville, Kentucky, WLKY reviewed police records and found 70 unlawful-camping citations between July 19 and December 17, 2024, with at least 10 people arrested in connection with those cases. A court date can mean missing a shift, finding a ride, or arranging childcare. A person can come through that entire process and still have nowhere to sleep that night. wlky.com

Hunger deserves our attention right now, even as we work on housing. Think about what it takes for someone to open a trash can looking for something to eat. A hot meal, a bag of groceries, or a sandwich handed over with care can help a person get through the day. Give people something they can eat, give them a place to sit if you can, and let them receive it with their dignity intact.

In Atlanta, rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris has spent years serving the Westside community where he grew up. His annual Thanksgiving turkey drive through Harris Community Works reached its twentieth year in 2025, providing turkeys and groceries. His outreach has also reached women and children at Atlanta Mission’s My Sister’s House shelter, where he helped distribute holiday gifts. I appreciate the consistency of returning to the same community year after year. blackenterprise.com

T.I. has also been involved in affordable housing. In 2023, he joined Atlanta Housing, the developer, and local officials at the opening of Intrada Westside, a 143-apartment affordable development that includes 25 permanent supportive housing units backed by Atlanta Housing. Feeding a family can get them through a difficult day. A place they can afford gives them a kitchen to come home to the following week. Atlanta Housing

In San Francisco, Del Seymour knows what it means to live on the streets because he has been there himself. Seymour grew up in Chicago, served as a military medic, and worked as a firefighter and paramedic in Los Angeles before settling in the Bay Area. He experienced homelessness and struggled with addiction. After getting sober, he started leading walking tours of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, inviting people to see the community and meet the people who lived there. In 2015, he founded Code Tenderloin to help people facing barriers to employment. The nonprofit offers coding classes and helps with practical needs such as interview clothes and childcare. Think about what that can mean for a parent who finally gets an interview and has nobody to watch their child. Represent Collaborative

In New Jersey, Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Bongiovi, have helped address both hunger and homelessness. Dorothea founded JBJ Soul Kitchen, whose first restaurant opened in Red Bank in 2011. Guests who can afford to contribute can help cover someone else’s meal, and guests who can’t pay can volunteer their time. Everyone can sit down for a full meal. The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation also reports that it has helped support more than 700 units of affordable and supportive housing across 11 states and Washington, D.C., serving people including young adults and veterans. I think about the dignity in being able to sit down and eat when you’re hungry, and the relief of knowing you have somewhere to go when dinner is over. jbjsf.org

My foundation is coming soon. I want to help widows and their children before a financial crisis puts them out of their homes. After a death, a family can be grieving, losing income, and trying to understand what bills are due, all at the same time. I want a widow to be able to reach out while there is still time to keep the lights on or cover the rent.

I plan to keep the paperwork simple and, as funds allow, pay verified bills directly. I want help to reach a family while the rent payment can still keep them housed or the utility payment can still keep the power on. A widow should be able to spend some of those first weeks sitting with her children and grieving with them, without spending every morning explaining her loss to another office.

Tonight, a parent will look for somewhere to park. Someone will pull a blanket over their shoulders in a tent. Someone who worked all day will go to sleep wondering where they will wash up before tomorrow’s shift. I want us to care about where those people sleep tonight and what it will take for them to have a home six months from now. And when a family asks for help while they still have a key to their own front door, I want us to answer in time.

Where to Get Help in the United States

United Way 211 connects callers with local emergency shelters, food programs, and agencies that may help with rent or utility bills. Dial 211 and give your ZIP code. If you’re sleeping in a car with children, mention that when you call so the specialist can look for family shelter options. United Way 211 Housing Help. United Way 211
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers a national directory of local shelters, food pantries, health clinics, and clothing resources. Enter your city or ZIP code and select the service you need. HUD Find Shelter. hud.gov
The Salvation Army operates emergency shelters in some communities. Some local offices also offer rent or utility assistance. Search by ZIP code, then call the local office to ask about services, eligibility, and available funds or beds. The Salvation Army Location Finder. salvationarmyusa.org
Feeding America helps people find free groceries and prepared meals through local food banks, pantries, and meal programs. Enter your ZIP code and contact the local program for hours. If you’re living in a vehicle or tent, ask about ready-to-eat food. Feeding America Food Bank Finder. Feeding America
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) connects veterans experiencing homelessness or at immediate risk of losing housing with local VA services. Veterans and people calling on their behalf can reach the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838, 24 hours a day. VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans.