Homelessness

According to The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, a total of over 750,000 people – about 1 out of every 400 Americans – experienced homelessness in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program, or in unsheltered locations across the United States on a single night. This was the highest number ever recorded, representing a 32.5% increase since 2022, and included nearly 150,000 children. In 2024, people who identify as Black represented 12 percent of the total U.S. population, 21 percent of the those living in poverty, and 32 percent of those experiencing homelessness.

Some factors contributing to the increase in homelessness include the increasing cost of housing, rising inflation more broadly, and stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households. Natural disasters displacing people from their homes and the discontinuation of homelessness prevention programs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the expanded child tax credit, are also thought to contribute.

According to the Massachusetts Rehousing Data Collective, as of late 2025, there were over 44,000 individuals and 25,000 households who experienced homelessness in the Commonwealth. Over the 2024-2025 school year, there were over 36,000 students in grades K through 12 in Massachusetts who experienced homeless, according to data from the Massachusetts Homeless Student Program.

As of 2025-2026, the Massachusetts state budget funded about 2500 individual year-round shelter beds plus some 1300 additional winter-season shelter beds. Most shelters for individuals in the state are usually full to capacity, and they tend to be over-capacity in the winter months. In addition, about 1500 families use the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter system.