2022 Annual Estimates of Sheltered Homelessness in the United States (AHAR Part 2)

The 2022 Annual Estimates of Sheltered Homelessness report (Part 2) finds that homelessness increased, notably among older and Latine people. Produced for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) as part of the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, the report shows: 

• Over 1.3 million people experienced homelessness in sheltered settings during 2022, a 14-percent increase over the previous year. Part 2 reflects only national estimates of sheltered homelessness, so recent spikes in unsheltered homelessness across the country are not included in this 14 percent rise.  
• The number of family households experiencing homelessness increased by nearly 20 percent between 2021 and 2022, outpacing increases in homelessness among adult-only households (13%). Sheltered family homelessness increased while family poverty fell by 4 percent during the same period. 
• The number of older adults experiencing chronic homelessness continued to rise: Approximately 10,000 more people over the age of 64 experienced sheltered homelessness in 2022, compared to 2021. The number of older adults who have a disability and have been homeless for long periods of time has increased by 83 percent since 2019 (which is the new baseline for comparison).   
   
• The large disparity in the number people of color experiencing homelessness persists  
  • People identifying as Black, African, or African American accounted for 39 percent of people experiencing sheltered homelessness, despite representing only 13 percent of the overall U.S. population.  
  • Historically the Hispanic or Latina/e/o population has been under-represented among people experiencing sheltered homelessness, but that trend has reversed as the number of Hispanic people experiencing homelessness rose. In 2022, the Hispanic or Latina/e/o population accounted for 23 percent of people experiencing sheltered homelessness, up from 16 percent in 2019. 

Providing context for these findings, Abt’s AHAR Project Director Meghan Henry, Ph.D., said, “As pandemic-era federal resources aimed at preventing homelessness expire, homeless services systems are being stretched to their limits, resulting in increases in both sheltered and unsheltered populations. Appropriately funding programs that help keep people in their current homes or provide housing assistance to transition out of the experience of homelessness is the only way to reverse the upward trend in homelessness in this country.” 

Related Links: 

2022 AHAR: Part 2 – Annual Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S.