By Theresa Power-Drutis
The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress (2024 Point-in-Time, or PIT, report) indicates the highest recorded levels of homelessness in the U.S., with 771,480 individuals nationally experiencing homelessness on a single night. Contributing factors include an affordable-housing crisis, inflation, systemic racism, and the cessation of COVID-era support programs. Key findings include:
- Homelessness in families with children rose by 39 percent from 2023, with nearly 150,000 children affected.
- Over 152,000 individuals reported chronic patterns of homelessness, a 27 percent increase since 2007, with 65 percent living in unsheltered locations. ·
- Military veterans are the only group showing a decline, with an 8 percent reduction since 2023 and a 55 percent drop since 2009 due to sustained funding.
- One in five people experiencing homelessness was 55 or older; nearly half were living in unsheltered conditions.
- People who identify as Black, African American, or African accounted for 32 percent of homelessness, despite being 12 percent of the population.
- Emergency shelter beds increased by 18 percent, while transitional housing declined. Permanent-housing programs expanded modestly, reflecting targeted investments but not fully meeting demand.
The report underscores systemic challenges and limited success in addressing homelessness on a national level. County-level reports reflect similar challenges. (Editor’s note: The Pierce County 2025 homeless Point-in-Time count was conducted on Jan. 30-31. The results hadn’t been announced as of March 11. For the county’s 2024 count, results included a 23 percent increase in overall homelessness and a slight decrease in the number of people using specialized services for the homeless, according to the county’s Human Services Department.
“The annual PIT counts often mobilize large numbers of volunteers and serve to educate communities about homelessness. However, despite all the community effort and goodwill that goes into them, and due to no fault of the professionals and volunteers who carry them out, the counts are severely flawed,” said officials of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Despite the flaws detailed in the National Law Center report, “Don’t Count On It,” the PIT is a critical requirement for each county’s federal funding to address homelessness. To learn more, view Pierce County’s PIT results from previous years or sign up to volunteer at piercecountywa.gov.
Theresa Power-Drutts is a director of League of Women Voters of Tacoma-Pierce County. She wrote this article for the organization’s January newsletter.