Asylum seekers linked to rise in homelessness in United States

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Key Takeaways

• Homelessness in U.S. shelters rose 43% from 2022–2024, with nearly 189,000 more people affected.
• Asylum seekers accounted for 60% of the sheltered homelessness surge, clustering mainly in New York, Chicago, Massachusetts, and Denver.
• Local right-to-shelter and sanctuary policies strongly attracted asylum seekers, intensifying concentrated shelter demand in select cities.

Between 2022 and 2024, the United States 🇺🇸 saw one of its fastest increases in homelessness in modern history, especially among people staying in shelters. A careful look at new research and government data shows that the arrival of asylum seekers played a huge part in this surge. However, the story is not that simple—many other problems also pushed more people into homelessness. This analysis provides a full picture, examines the numbers, explains what they mean, and discusses what these changes reveal about United States 🇺🇸 immigration, housing, and social policy today.

Introduction: Setting the Scene

Asylum seekers linked to rise in homelessness in United States

Homelessness in the United States 🇺🇸 is a long-lasting problem. For over ten years, the number of people sleeping in shelters or on the street had stayed nearly steady or even fallen a bit. But, starting in late 2022, something changed. Suddenly, shelters filled up at rates not seen in decades. Why did this happen? Was it all because of asylum seekers, or were there other reasons? This analysis brings together recent findings to answer these questions.

The Data: What the Numbers Tell Us

Main Findings

The United States 🇺🇸 experienced a 43% jump in the number of people living in homeless shelters from 2022 to 2024. The total homeless population grew by nearly 189,000 people. Of this overall increase, about 149,000 were new arrivals to emergency shelters. These numbers come from sources like NBER working papers and local government counts, which are referenced in detail in recent policy studies.

The most surprising part is where the increase happened. Three-fourths of the entire growth in sheltered homelessness took place in just four places: New York City, Chicago, Massachusetts (mainly suburbs of Boston), and Denver. Together, these areas make up only about 5% of the country’s population, but they received large numbers of people seeking asylum. The huge concentration suggests that local circumstances and rules played a role.

Asylum Seekers’ Impact

One key finding: experts estimate that about 60% of this two-year spike in sheltered homelessness came from asylum seekers. That’s around 89,000 people. This share was not guessed; it came both from direct headcounts and from looking at detailed records of people entering shelters.

For example:
– In New York City, around 67,000 of the newly sheltered homeless in this period were asylum seekers.
– Chicago’s homeless shelter population soared from about 2,600 to more than 17,200 people. Almost all—94%—were people who had just arrived to seek asylum.

These trends are linked to policies in these cities and states. Some places, such as New York City and Massachusetts, have “right-to-shelter” rules or have declared themselves “sanctuary” jurisdictions. This means they promise to provide shelter to those in need, no matter their immigration status. As a result, such areas attract more asylum seekers who know they will not be turned away from shelters.

Breakdown by Location

To better understand what’s happening, let’s look at a table that gives more details:

The Visual Pattern: Most of the new homelessness is clustered where both local policies and high numbers of arrivals overlap.

Sheltered vs. Unsheltered Homelessness: What’s the Difference?

When experts talk about “sheltered homelessness,” they mean people staying in official shelters or emergency housing. “Unsheltered homelessness” means people are outside, in cars, or other places not meant for living in. The largest jump was in the sheltered group, because new asylum seekers often directed toward or supported in accessing city-run shelters right after arriving.

Direct Quotes from the Research

A recent peer-reviewed study summed up the issue like this:
“Our analyses suggest that the growing presence of asylum seekers residing in homeless shelters explains about 60 percent of the rise in sheltered homelessness between 2022 and 2024… approximately 40 percent remains unexplained, underscoring the need for research to identify additional factors.” (Source 3)

What Caused the Remaining 40% of the Increase?

Not all of the rise can be traced to asylum seekers. About 40%—an estimated 60,000 people—became newly homeless for other reasons. What else changed during this time?

Other major factors likely include:

The end of COVID-19 protections: Emergency rules that stopped people from being evicted (eviction moratoria) expired, leading to more people losing their homes.
The cost of housing: Rents and home prices rose while average wages stayed flat, making it much harder for the poorest people to keep their housing.
Structural problems: Things like racial discrimination, underfunded social support, and long-standing gaps in affordable housing have pushed more people at risk into homelessness. These issues have existed for decades and did not appear overnight.

Where Did Asylum Seekers Come From?

While this analysis focuses on the effects within the United States 🇺🇸, the origins of new asylum seekers are diverse. People fleeing unrest, violence, or crushing poverty in places like Venezuela 🇻🇪, Haiti 🇭🇹, and parts of Central America seek safety and new lives in the United States 🇺🇸. Many arrive with few resources, making them very likely to need emergency housing after arrival.

Why Some Cities and States Felt the Impact More Than Others

The concentration of the rise in only a few big cities and a handful of states is important. Local rules and policies, as reported by VisaVerge.com, had a huge effect. Cities with right-to-shelter laws or that identify as sanctuaries (which means they have promised not to help federal authorities deport undocumented immigrants) draw higher numbers of new arrivals. This is because news spreads among asylum seekers and their networks about where housing or help is easier to get.

International Examples: Is the U.S. Alone in This Trend?

The spike in homelessness linked to new arrivals is not just an American story. For example, the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 in mid-2023 saw a 223% increase in street homelessness among people leaving asylum accommodations. As in the United States 🇺🇸, the sudden jump came as support systems fell short and new arrivals struggled in tough housing markets with little social support.

Visual Representation

Imagine a line chart with the horizontal axis showing years (2012 to 2024) and the vertical axis showing the number of people in homeless shelters. For a decade, the line is flat or slightly falls. In 2022, the line shoots upward, with almost all of the climb happening in places with both many asylum seekers and right-to-shelter policies.

Similarly, a pie chart would show 60% of the increase in the sheltered homeless population directly linked to asylum seekers, and the remaining 40% divided among causes like the end of COVID support and wider economic struggles.

What Makes the 2022–2024 Period Different?

Previous rises in homelessness in the United States 🇺🇸 were often spread across many cities and had many causes, such as local job losses or bad weather. This time, the increase was both much faster and more focused. Most of it happened in just a few cities and was quickly traced to one new trend: rising numbers of asylum seekers, especially where local shelter access rules were generous.

However, it’s important to remember that even with record numbers of asylum seekers arriving, four out of every ten new cases of sheltered homelessness still came from other causes. This finding is critical for anyone looking to solve the problem or make new policies.

Connecting the Data to U.S. Immigration and Housing Policy

This new data shows why it’s important for policymakers to consider how immigration and housing laws affect each other.

When asylum seekers arrive in large numbers, shelters can fill quickly, especially if local rules require cities to provide a bed to anyone who asks.
But if bigger problems, like not enough affordable housing or ending government help, are not fixed, even local places with few immigrants can see homelessness rise.

This means future solutions need to tackle both immediate needs (like making sure there is enough shelter) and long-term problems (like fixing housing shortages and lifting wages).

The Limits of the Data and Additional Research Needs

While the studies cited use careful methods and both direct and indirect counts, there are limits. It is not always possible to know perfectly who counts as an asylum seeker, as not everyone signs up in the same way or shares the same information. Some people might avoid shelters—and not all cities keep records in the same way.

Also, the 40% of homelessness not explained by asylum seekers deserves closer study. Experts suggest that future research could improve counts and learn more about the effect of changes in laws, prices, and wages.

For further details on homelessness statistics and guidance on how the country measures and addresses these challenges, see the official page on Homelessness Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Broader Context: Why This Matters for the United States 🇺🇸

The sharp rise in homelessness—driven partly by asylum seekers—has left many cities struggling. Shelters have run out of space, and local governments have scrambled to find more beds and help. There have been heated debates about whether cities should change their shelter rules, add tents, or find new funds to pay for emergency housing.

At the same time, the scale of need has reminded the country that old challenges—like a lack of affordable homes and low pay—remain just as serious, even if they do not always make the headlines.

Summary and Looking Ahead

Between 2022 and 2024, the United States 🇺🇸 saw homelessness climb at a pace not seen in decades. About three out of every five new people in shelters were asylum seekers; the rest became homeless for other reasons, including losing jobs, higher rents, and the end of emergency protections.

Local policies, especially in places with right-to-shelter or sanctuary status, made some cities much more likely to receive new arrivals and face fast-growing shelter populations.

Still, the country must face deep, ongoing problems: chronic housing shortages, stagnant wages, and gaps in the safety net. Future solutions must help both newly arrived asylum seekers and homeless families hurt by economic and housing troubles.

As reported by VisaVerge.com, a balanced approach—one that plans for waves of new arrivals but also tackles old problems—is now more urgent than ever. Policymakers, advocates, and everyday residents alike must work together for real change.

Methodology

This analysis is based on data and findings from peer-reviewed academic papers, government records, and policy reports published between 2022 and 2024. Central references include the National Bureau of Economic Research, local government releases, and summary reviews like those from the University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute.

Key sources used both direct headcounts (when city officials track the number of people in shelters and their backgrounds) and indirect demographic analyses (looking at changes in population patterns and shelter use). These methods allowed experts to estimate the share of new homelessness caused by asylum seekers and to compare it to other known drivers.

Key Takeaways

Asylum seekers drove about 60% of the sharp rise in sheltered homelessness in the United States 🇺🇸 from 2022–2024.
40% of the growth in homelessness is still rooted in broader social and economic challenges—not just immigration.
Cities and states with welcoming shelter policies experienced the most pressure, showing how local rules affect nationwide trends.
The sudden spike in homelessness is not just an American story; other countries like the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 saw similar increases as refugee support was withdrawn.
The solution to homelessness must address both new migration patterns and old structural problems in housing and wages.

This story is a reminder that the United States 🇺🇸, like many countries, must work on both fast-changing and long-standing challenges at the same time. Any real fix for homelessness will need careful planning and action on several fronts, making sure that solutions help both asylum seekers and everyone else who now calls the country home.

Learn Today

Asylum seekers → Individuals seeking protection in another country due to threats or persecution in their homeland; not yet approved as refugees.
Sheltered homelessness → The condition of living in government or officially recognized shelters, rather than on the streets or informal settings.
Right-to-shelter → Local laws guaranteeing access to emergency housing for anyone in need, regardless of immigration status or other factors.
Sanctuary jurisdiction → A city or region refusing to assist federal authorities in deporting undocumented immigrants, often offering additional local protections.
Eviction moratoria → Temporary legal measures preventing landlords from evicting tenants, typically used during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Article in a Nutshell

Between 2022 and 2024, U.S. homelessness in shelters soared, with asylum seekers driving 60% of the surge. Local policies in a handful of cities deepened the impact. Yet, economic and structural forces fueled 40% of the rise, reminding us that solving homelessness requires systemic, multi-faceted policy solutions and ongoing public attention.
— By VisaVerge.com

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