Illinois saw 116% increase in homelessness in 2024, HUD report says
The state of Illinois saw a 116% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in early 2024, with most of that increase taking place in Chicago, federal officials announced late last month.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report which records snapshots of the number of people in shelters, temporary housing and unsheltered settings. The report reflected data recorded in January of 2024, so it likely does not represent current levels.
The agency reported that Illinois’ unhoused population between 2023 and 2024 went from 11,947 to 25,832, an increase of 13,885 people. About 91% of that increase was in Chicago.
Effects of the migrant crisis
Most of that increase (13,600) came about because of the thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers who came to the city over the past two years, including those who had been bused or flown to Chicago from other states.
Still, the most recent data do not reflect subsequent policy, including the Biden administration’s restrictions on border crossings, which have led to a 60% drop over the past year.
In Chicago, the migrant shelter census is down more than 60%.
Last summer, the City of Chicago released its own Point-in-Time Count, showing that there were 18,836 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in early 2024. That was up from 6,139 on a single night in 2023, a more than 200% increase. Most of the unhoused population in 2024 consisted of new arrivals in the city.
Chicago officials have been working on a way to streamline the shelter system built to respond to the migrant crisis which started in late 2022. City and state officials aim to bring the total number of shelter beds in Chicago to 6,800.
A national trend
Overall, the U.S. saw an 18% increase in its unhoused population last year, a net increase of more than 770,000 people on a single night, the highest ever recorded.
Illinois was one of 43 states, along with the District of Columbia, to report increases in their unhoused population between 2023 and 2024.
HUD said several factors have likely contributed to the surge in homelessness including the nation’s worsening affordable housing crises, rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle and lower-income households, and the "persisting effects of systemic racism." Additional public health crises, the end of pandemic-era homelessness prevention programs and natural disasters have displaced people from their homes.
Homelessness among all populations was on the rise, including among families with children. Between 2023 and 2024, about 39% more people in families with children were unhoused. That included nearly 150,000 children on a single night.
Veterans were the only population to report continued declines in homelessness.