How The Homelessness Problem In Illinois Compares To Other States

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. - Chicago

2023-09-18

On a single night in 2022, 582,462 people experienced homelessness in the United States, and numbers are on the rise. Since 2017, there has been a 6% increase in homelessness.

About six in 10 of the people experiencing homelessness in 2022 had access to emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens, while the remainder were unsheltered. Rates of unsheltered homelessness — which includes those sleeping on the streets, in abandoned buildings, and in wooded areas — are also on the rise.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 9,212 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Illinois in 2022. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 7.3 people for every 10,000 state residents, the third fewest among the 50 states.

Of those experiencing homelessness in Illinois, a reported 20.6% were unsheltered, the 17th lowest share among states.

All data in this story is from the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.