Rents over the last two decades have risen much faster than employee pay, contributing to an escalating homelessness crisis in the U.S.

A growing number of Americans are ending up homeless as soaring rents in recent years squeeze their budgets.

According to a Jan. 25 report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, roughly 653,000 people reported experiencing homelessness in January of 2023, up roughly 12% from the same time a year prior and 48% from 2015. That marks the largest single-year increase in the country’s unhoused population on record, Harvard researchers said.

  • spyd3r@sh.itjust.works
    268·
    11 months ago

    Secure and close the borders to relieve the pressure on housing demand and limit the amount of people with no means to support themselves from entering the country. If our country and economy is failing at providing for the people we already have we shouldn’t be letting in any more.

    • Lenny@lemmy.world
      341·
      11 months ago

      Or… solve the wealth hoarding issue at the top, instead of blaming poor people.

      • Whatsit_Tooya@lemmy.world
        241·
        11 months ago

        No no it’s the immigrants!!! (please ignore the real estate funds buying up property and jacking up rents)

    • heckypecky@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      193·
      11 months ago

      Wtf? You’re the richest country in the world. It’s not a problem of too little money, it’s capitalism

    • jeremyparker@programming.dev
      142·
      11 months ago

      If our country and economy is failing at providing for the people we already have we shouldn’t be letting in any more.

      Wait – our country is supposed to be providing housing?

      I won’t lie, I’m super into that. Normalizing rent across hundreds of millions of people would go a long way to stop bloodsucking leeches from buying property, price gouging residents to live there, and calling that a “job”

    • space@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      121·
      11 months ago

      How exactly are immigrants who can’t support themselves able to pay rent and put pressure on housing demand?

        • PorradaVFR@lemmy.world
          3·
          11 months ago

          A great point were it not quantifiably true that immigrants have lower per capita rates of criminal activity than citizens. Also, it is perfectly legal to come into the country and ask for asylum (which many are doing), it is further known that there is rampant and illegal employment for migrant workers by agricultural and hospitality industries that rarely suffer any consequences for exploiting and underpaying workers. (See: dollar menu pricing)

          Ignoring the motives behind migration and even worse the lack of funding for enforcement of legislation whose reform is stuck for political reasons blames the victims for their plight.

          But simple explanations are easier, no matter how wrong they may be factually.