Homelessness Surges in the US: What's Going Wrong?

In the United States, the number of homeless people has risen by 18% this year. This is mainly because many people can't afford decent housing. Natural disasters and a wave of migrants in big cities have also played a part. The government did a count in January and found over 770, 000 homeless people, but this number doesn't include everyone. For example, it doesn't count those staying with friends or family. The number of homeless families has gone up by nearly 40%. Natural disasters, like the big wildfire in Maui last year, have also added to the problem. More than 5, 200 people were in emergency shelters in Hawaii on the night of the count.

Some cities have been taking tough steps against homelessness. For instance, some places have banned outdoor sleeping. This followed a Supreme Court ruling that said outdoor sleeping bans don't violate the Constitution. Homeless advocates argued that this could lead to homeless people being punished for having nowhere to sleep. However, there's some good news. The number of homeless veterans has been going down. It dropped by 8% this year. Cities like Dallas and Los Angeles have seen drops in homeless numbers too. But overall, the homeless population has been going up over the past two years, which is different from the progress made in the decade before that.

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