Homelessness in America
Homelessness in America is not a recent phenomenon. There is a history of homelessness throughout U.S. history.
During colonial times, early American attitudes toward poverty were shaped by English poor laws and the belief that some people were “worthy” of help while others were not. The original Elizabethan Poor Laws made it illegal to let anyone starve, requiring local communities to care for those in need. But by 1834, that system was replaced with the Poor Law Amendment Act, which only offered aid to the poorest men and women if they entered workhouses—harsh institutions where they were forced to perform exhausting and often degrading labor. These policies, and the values behind them, heavily influenced how early American settlers treated people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Strict settlement laws controlled who was allowed to live in a community and who was forced to leave. These laws sorted people into different groups based on why they were poor, and treated them differently depending on whether their poverty was seen as “deserved” or “undeserved.” The first documented cases of homelessness appear in colonial records from the 1640’s. European settlers were displacing Native Americans and resulting conflicts on the frontier also lead to homelessness among both Native Americans and Europeans.
In 1736, New York established its first almshouse. Poor houses and almshouses began opening across the colonies—many with rules and work requirements. During the Industrial Revolution and the transition to new manufacturing processes, there was mass movement to cities. This caused a new urban poverty that often resulted in homelessness, panhandling, and run-ins with the police.
Economic downturns in the 1830’s and 1850’s caused many to lose their jobs and homes. By the 1830’s, tens of thousands of homeless people lived in police stations by night and in the streets by day. In the 1850’s, youth homelessness emerged when adolescent boys left home to look for work and ease the financial burden on their families. Many ended up homeless.
Homelessness Migrates Westward
As people moved west during the Gold Rush and Civil War veterans traveled in search of new opportunities, expanded train routes made it easier to move from place to place. But with too few jobs to go around, many were forced to survive by seeking temporary work and scavenging for food and clothing. During this time, the terms “bum,” “tramp,” and “hobo” emerged to describe people experiencing homelessness—though the lifestyle was often romanticized in American literature. Homelessness wasn’t limited to major cities like Boston and New York; unhoused people were also found in small Midwestern towns and growing western cities like San Francisco.
From 1900 through the Great Depression, homelessness remained a widespread issue. Municipal lodging houses emerged during this time, highlighting the ongoing demand for shelter and basic services. The nature of homelessness also began to shift, as seasonal agricultural jobs that once offered temporary relief were increasingly filled by immigrant farm workers, leaving fewer opportunities for others.
In 1927, the Mississippi River flood devastated communities from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico, displacing more than 200,000 African Americans in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Many were forced to live in overcrowded relief camps for extended periods. This natural disaster ultimately contributed to the mass migration of African Americans to large cities in search of better opportunities and living conditions.
Before the Great Depression, local philanthropic groups served meals, built shelters, and offered classes and job training. They often perpetuated the notion of “deserving” and “undeserving,” made judgments, and blamed people for their poverty. Faith-based organizations also began to open in poor parts of large cities. They provided shelter and a meal in exchange for a sermon and some hymns. During these years, tensions rose among the faith-based organizations, philanthropic groups, and publicly funded programs regarding the best way to address homelessness.
Federal Response to Homelessness
From the 1970s through the 1990s, homelessness in the United States increased significantly as public policies shifted. Federal funding for affordable housing was slashed, and many state-run mental hospitals were deinstitutionalized without adequate community-based care to replace them. Single-room occupancy (SRO) housing—once a key source of low-cost shelter—declined sharply. Many veterans returning from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars struggled to reintegrate and became homeless.
In his first year in office, President Ronald Reagan cut the budget for public housing and Section 8 programs by half, arguing that homelessness could be addressed if churches and synagogues took in welfare families. These policy decisions left many people without a safety net. During this period, homelessness began to be understood not just as an individual problem, but as a broader societal issue rooted in systemic failures. In response, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness was established in 1987 to coordinate a federal response and improve collaboration across government agencies.
History of Homelessness: Lack of Affordable Housing
During the 2000s, the number of homeless people continued to increase. The U.S. continues to experience an affordable housing crisis. This is due to the high cost of housing, lack of affordable housing stock, and wages that have not kept up with the cost of housing.
Many states—encouraged by the federal government—began developing and implementing plans to end homelessness during the 2000s. Prior to this, the dominant approach was the Staircase Model, which required individuals to meet certain goals—such as sobriety or employment—before progressing to independent housing. In the 1990s, officials introduced the Housing First model, which reversed this approach by providing housing without preconditions.
Backed by growing research throughout the 2000s, Housing First gained momentum for its effectiveness in helping certain populations, especially those with chronic health or behavioral health challenges. Another emerging model, the Vulnerability Index, prioritized people who had been homeless for at least six months and had one or more serious health conditions for access to housing.
During the Great Recession of 2007-2009, many people defaulted on their mortgages due to economic conditions and the real estate market. As a result, there was a big increase in foreclosures, evictions, and unemployment, which led to increased homelessness.
In 2010, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness developed Opening Doors, a strategic federal plan to end homelessness. Officials updated the plan in 2012, 2015, and 2018, leading to measurable progress, particularly in reducing veteran homelessness. However, in recent years, progress has slowed.
In the late 2010s, growing awareness of the disproportionate number of people of color experiencing homelessness led some communities to begin developing and testing racially equitable solutions. Then in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives across the country—worsening financial instability, increasing housing insecurity, and making it harder for many people to exit homelessness. While targeted efforts had previously driven down veteran homelessness, those gains began to reverse in the early 2020s. At the same time, a nationwide housing crisis emerged, with more individuals and families facing extreme rent burdens and a shortage of affordable housing.
In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities could enforce bans on sleeping and camping in public places, effectively paving the way for increased criminalization of homelessness. Adding to this policy shift, the Trump administration signaled its intent to move away from housing-focused solutions and toward more punitive, enforcement-based approaches—marking a dramatic turn in federal homelessness policy.
Learn more about current causes of homelessness.
Read more about the history of homelessness.
