CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Homelessness in the United States surged by 18.1% this year, the sharpest recorded increase in decades, as housing shortages, inflation, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already dire crisis.
According to an annual U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report, more than 770,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January—an increase of over 100,000 from the previous year.
In Iowa, the numbers are equally troubling. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported a 56% rise in the state’s unsheltered population since 2023 in its August 2024 State of Homelessness report…