WV's homeless population increased in 2024, according to estimates, following national trends

End of COVID relief funds, lack of affordable housing contributed to increase

The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single winter night in West Virginia increased by about 25% from 2023 to 2024, according to point-in-time estimates released recently by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Point-in-time counts offer a snapshot of homelessness. Volunteers in communities around the country count both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people on a single night. The surveys are federally mandated to take place each year during the last 10 days of January.

Advocates say the counts underestimate the true scale of the homelessness crisis by excluding some homeless people, for instance those who are staying with friends or family because of economic hardship and those in jails or hospitals. A state-commissioned report last year found that on average, between 2018 and 2023, on average 3,624 people per year in West Virginia experienced literal homelessness.

According to the HUD 2024 report, released in December, 2024 saw the highest number of homeless people in the United States ever recorded. On a single night, 771,480 people stayed in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program or in unsheltered locations across the country, up about 18% from 653,100 in 2023.

Read more at: https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/01/21/wvs-homeless-population-increased-in-2024-according-to-estimates-following-national-trends/