Rents over the last two decades have risen much faster than employee pay, contributing to an escalating homelessness crisis in the U.S.

A growing number of Americans are ending up homeless as soaring rents in recent years squeeze their budgets.

According to a Jan. 25 report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, roughly 653,000 people reported experiencing homelessness in January of 2023, up roughly 12% from the same time a year prior and 48% from 2015. That marks the largest single-year increase in the country’s unhoused population on record, Harvard researchers said.

  • spyd3r@sh.itjust.works
    267·
    8 months ago

    Secure and close the borders to relieve the pressure on housing demand and limit the amount of people with no means to support themselves from entering the country. If our country and economy is failing at providing for the people we already have we shouldn’t be letting in any more.

    • Lenny@lemmy.world
      341·
      8 months ago

      Or… solve the wealth hoarding issue at the top, instead of blaming poor people.

      • Whatsit_Tooya@lemmy.world
        241·
        8 months ago

        No no it’s the immigrants!!! (please ignore the real estate funds buying up property and jacking up rents)

    • jeremyparker@programming.dev
      142·
      8 months ago

      If our country and economy is failing at providing for the people we already have we shouldn’t be letting in any more.

      Wait – our country is supposed to be providing housing?

      I won’t lie, I’m super into that. Normalizing rent across hundreds of millions of people would go a long way to stop bloodsucking leeches from buying property, price gouging residents to live there, and calling that a “job”