Homelessness
“Why can't some of the world's richest countries house their own people?”
Root causes (expand to see solutions)
Homelessness is widely blamed on addiction and personal failure. But cities with similar rates of addiction and poverty can have very different levels of homelessness.
What's at stake
Beyond the danger to those sleeping rough, homelessness scars the next generation: children raised in temporary accommodation fall behind at school and in health.
The cycle of shelters, hospitals and police contact costs the state more than housing would, and without a fixed address, holding a job becomes close to impossible.
The global picture
United States
High severity
Homelessness has climbed to record levels in high-rent cities such as Los Angeles and New York; a 2024 Supreme Court ruling now lets cities jail or fine people who sleep outside, even where shelter beds don't exist.Congressional Research Service, 2024
Homelessness is rising across most of the wealthy world, from Germany and France to Australia and Ireland, as housing costs climb.