HUD report reveals D.C.'s homelessness highs and lows

Why it matters: HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge has praised D.C.’s efforts to end homelessness, most recently joining Mayor Muriel Bowser to take part in this year’s point-in-time count.

Be smart: The Bowser administration has made ending homelessness a key goal — although COVID-19 derailed some of those plans, and the first phase of the plan fell short of its goals. The second phase was released last year and includes a more targeted focus on adult individual homelessness.

By the numbers:

• D.C. joined more than half of the states that saw decreases in the number of individuals staying in shelters between 2020 and 2021.
• D.C. saw one of the nation’s largest decreases in family homelessness with a decline of 49.2% between 2020 and 2021.
• However, D.C. did see a 32.9% increase in unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness, or 77 youth under the age of 25.

• In 2021, D.C. was among jurisdictions with the highest percentage (36.3%) of sheltered individuals who are chronically homeless, which are people with a disability who have been homeless for at least a year over three years.

The big picture: Compared to the rest of the nation, D.C. has steeper disparities among sheltered people experiencing homelessness.

• Per D.C.’s 2021 count, 86% of people experiencing homelessness were Black, compared to 45.2% nationwide.
• More than 63% of D.C.’s sheltered homeless in 2021 were men, compared to 56% nationwide.