Homelessness is a problem in the U.S.

[BradStevens]

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

apnews.com

"Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year."

 

[mcmurtry66]

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

apnews.com

"Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year."

This past administration was a collection of social workers masquerading as politicians. We’d have been in deep trouble had Harris won

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

apnews.com

"Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year."

That's what happens when people push deinstitutionalization.

Deinstitutionalization - Special Reports | The New Asylums | FRONTLINE | PBS

By 1994, the nation's population had increased to 260 million. If there had been the same proportion of patients per population in public mental hospitals in 1994 as there had been in 1955, the patients would have totaled 885,010. The true magnitude of deinstitutionalization, then, is the difference between 885,010 and 71,619. In effect, approximately 92 percent of the people who would have been living in public psychiatric hospitals in 1955 were not living there in 1994. Even allowing for the approximately 40,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in general hospitals or the approximately 10,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in community mental health centers (CMHCs) on any given day in 1994, that still means that approximately 763,391 severely mentally ill people (over three-quarters of a million) are living in the community today who would have been hospitalized 40 years ago. That number is more than the population of Baltimore or San Francisco.

Despite spending considerably more on mental/behavioral health, results are not meaningfully different.

 

[mcmurtry66]

That's what happens when people push deinstitutionalization.

Deinstitutionalization - Special Reports | The New Asylums | FRONTLINE | PBS

By 1994, the nation's population had increased to 260 million. If there had been the same proportion of patients per population in public mental hospitals in 1994 as there had been in 1955, the patients would have totaled 885,010. The true magnitude of deinstitutionalization, then, is the difference between 885,010 and 71,619. In effect, approximately 92 percent of the people who would have been living in public psychiatric hospitals in 1955 were not living there in 1994. Even allowing for the approximately 40,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in general hospitals or the approximately 10,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in community mental health centers (CMHCs) on any given day in 1994, that still means that approximately 763,391 severely mentally ill people (over three-quarters of a million) are living in the community today who would have been hospitalized 40 years ago. That number is more than the population of Baltimore or San Francisco.

Despite spending considerably more on mental/behavioral health, results are not meaningfully different.

And opening the border

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

Unhoused, brah.

The correct term is unhoused.

How insensitive can you be?

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

apnews.com

"Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year."

Wait, are you implying that flooding a city with migrants will have a negative effect on the availability of housing in that city?

NO WAY!!!!

 

[BradStevens]

That's what happens when people push deinstitutionalization.

Deinstitutionalization - Special Reports | The New Asylums | FRONTLINE | PBS

By 1994, the nation's population had increased to 260 million. If there had been the same proportion of patients per population in public mental hospitals in 1994 as there had been in 1955, the patients would have totaled 885,010. The true magnitude of deinstitutionalization, then, is the difference between 885,010 and 71,619. In effect, approximately 92 percent of the people who would have been living in public psychiatric hospitals in 1955 were not living there in 1994. Even allowing for the approximately 40,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in general hospitals or the approximately 10,000 patients who occupied psychiatric beds in community mental health centers (CMHCs) on any given day in 1994, that still means that approximately 763,391 severely mentally ill people (over three-quarters of a million) are living in the community today who would have been hospitalized 40 years ago. That number is more than the population of Baltimore or San Francisco.

Despite spending considerably more on mental/behavioral health, results are not meaningfully different.

How does this explain the rise since COVID?

 

[BradStevens]

Wait, are you implying that flooding a city with migrants will have a negative effect on the availability of housing in that city?

NO WAY!!!!

I think there is a lot to unpack in these stats.

For example, re the homelessness of migrants, I'm not sure that their homelessness here in the U.S. is worse or different than their homelessness would have been in Mexico or Venezuela. So I'm not sure if that should even "count" as to how we judge our programs, economy, etc. However, these stats do put the lie to the notion that the migrant influx in our country isn't really an issue.

As to whether the influx of migrants is affecting the availability of low-cost housing, I don't know. One would think that it would.

Re low cost housing, one problem may be that we have too many regs to make building such housing profitable for builders.

Why Housing Is Artificially Expensive and What Can Be Done About It (with Bryan Caplan) - Econlib

Housing is artificially expensive. Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and the author of Build, Baby, Build talks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about the causes behind high housing prices and what can be done to bring prices down.

www.econtalk.org

 

[Joe_Hoopsier]

However, these stats do put the lie to the notion that the migrant influx in our country isn't really an issue.

I'm not sure that I am following you here. Can you dumb this comment down a bit, or are there some typo's in this sentence?

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

How does this explain the rise since COVID?

Covid exacerbated mental illness and addiction, facilities have been struggling to staff, so even if people want care, it is likely unavailable, and reimbursement rates have not kept up with inflation.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

Re low cost housing, one problem may be that we have too many regs to make building such housing profitable for builders.

Too many regs and no margin. If we had more builders, they could go after it, but given opportunities, the obvious business decision is to go after higher end or larger options, even those in less dense areas.

That’s also a problem, low income housing tends to be in/near large metros, for transport and employment reasons. There’s NImBY issue too.

 

[BradStevens]

I'm not sure that I am following you here. Can you dumb this comment down a bit, or are there some typo's in this sentence?

Poorly worded.

I meant by that that these stats prove that the number of migrants in our cities has created real issues. Some people have gas lit about this in the past, both in the press and on this board. I think they did that because they generalize their own experiences to the rest of the nation, a trap we all have a tendency to fall into.

 

[VanPastorMan]

How does this explain the rise since COVID?

I think Covid lock downs have hurt a lot of people mentally. When you have mental issues you might use drugs and alcohol to soothe the pain. But then you can't go to work and then you lose your place of residence.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

Poorly worded.

I meant by that that these stats prove that the number of migrants in our cities has created real issues. Some people have gas lit about this in the past, both in the press and on this board. I think they did that because they generalize their own experiences to the rest of the nation, a trap we all have a tendency to fall into.

 

[twenty02]

I think there is a lot to unpack in these stats.

For example, re the homelessness of migrants, I'm not sure that their homelessness here in the U.S. is worse or different than their homelessness would have been in Mexico or Venezuela. So I'm not sure if that should even "count" as to how we judge our programs, economy, etc. However, these stats do put the lie to the notion that the migrant influx in our country isn't really an issue.

As to whether the influx of migrants is affecting the availability of low-cost housing, I don't know. One would think that it would.

Re low cost housing, one problem may be that we have too many regs to make building such housing profitable for builders.

Why Housing Is Artificially Expensive and What Can Be Done About It (with Bryan Caplan) - Econlib

Housing is artificially expensive. Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and the author of Build, Baby, Build talks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about the causes behind high housing prices and what can be done to bring prices down.

www.econtalk.org

You can't build houses people can afford today. It's literally impossible based upon raw goods prices and labor alone. Nobody will build cheap houses. The days of cheap housing is over in America minus an actual real, hard recession

 

[Lucy01]

US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country.

apnews.com

"Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness — one of the areas that was most affected by the arrival of migrants in big cities. Family homelessness more than doubled in 13 communities impacted by migrants including Denver, Chicago and New York City, according to HUD, while it rose less than 8% in the remaining 373 communities. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% jump from last year."

There is no way this is true! Biden-Harris and the Democrats have been in control for four years! Best economy ever!