Two factors that increase homelessness. Rapidly rising housing prices and benefits make being homeless in one area more attractive than in an adjacent state.
More people are experiencing homelessness in Illinois and across Chicago, compared with recent years.
The big picture: U.S. homelessness reached a record high in 2023, Axios' April Rubin reports.
A recently released report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that roughly 653,100 people nationwide, including nearly 11,950 in Illinois, experienced homelessness on a single night last year.
By the numbers: The HUD snapshot suggests Illinois' homelessness rate in 2023, 9.5 people per 10,000, is up from 8 in 2019, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng write.
Yes, but: The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless routinely says those snapshots can drastically underestimate the true number of houseless individuals, especially those "doubling up" or temporarily staying with someone.
The coalition estimates that roughly 68,440 people are experiencing homelessness in Chicago alone, per its latest report. That's a more than 2,800-person increase from the previous year.
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