Homelessness

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s report, The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Point In Time Count, shares that nearly all populations reached record levels of homelessness among people in families with children, individuals, individuals with chronic patterns of homelessness, people staying in unsheltered locations, people staying in sheltered locations, and unaccompanied youth (2024). Housing insecurity is caused by many factors, such as the lack of affordable housing options, insufficient income/government benefits relative to the cost of living, health conditions, and systemic barriers. With rising home prices and rent and a lack of options, an increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness is to be expected. Yet since focusing on solutions could help alleviate this trend, the Lenawee County Housing Strategic Plan has actionable recommendations for cities, townships, and villages that might help ease these strains.

The AHAR report indicates that the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Lenawee County increased 64.2% from 2019 to 2024 (see Figure 8) (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2019-2024). In the same time frame, the U.S. experienced a 35.9% increase, which means the rate at which the number of individuals experiencing homelessness is increasing in Lenawee County is higher than the national average (Henry et al., 2024).