In a pre-holiday news release, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that homelessness in the United States has hit a record high. 

This troubling milestone is another addition to the lackluster legacies of the Biden administration, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and sanctuary cities, with progressive blue states experiencing the largest surges and costing Americans millions every year, adding to the already out-of-control debt ceiling.   

We know nobody chooses to be homeless, and we know that nobody in America deserves to live without a roof over their head, but are these progressive blue states creating an out-of-control spiral because of incredibly poor policies?

According to HUD’s annual point-in-time survey, homelessness rose by 18% in 2023 and has increased 36% since 2019. More than 770,000 individuals in our country have been experiencing homelessness in shelters, public spaces or other government-supported housing over the past year. However, the report sidesteps any direct accountability of federal or state policies, instead attributing the crisis to broader social and economic factors.

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Growth in Homelessness

A comparison of homelessness growth between top red and blue states highlights the stark differences in how these states have handled the crisis. 

Between 2019 and 2024, California’s homeless population increased by almost 36,000 individuals, up 23.6%. New York grew by almost 66,000 (71.5%), and Illinois by more than 15,000 (153%). By contrast, Texas’ homeless population grew by a little over 2,000 (8.2%) and Florida about 3,000 (10.7%).

Progressive states like California and New York show dramatically higher increases in homelessness, whereas red states such as Texas and Florida have managed to limit their growth despite facing similar economic and migratory pressures. Why?

Shifting Blame

HUD’s report identifies several contributing factors, including a national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, and stagnating wages for middle- and lower-income households. Does it mention at all how cities like San Francisco completely skyrocketed the homeless population while tech companies got rich in “the City.” There literally was an app developed called SnapCrap for San Francisco because of so much public feces on the street. This city is the cornerstone of progressive policies and loves the concept of socialism.

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HUD also cites systemic racism, public health crises and natural disasters as underlying drivers of homelessness. Well, could there have been a state with more natural disasters than Florida?

What’s interesting is that Texas and Florida are both states that have no state income tax. On the opposite end of the spectrum, New York, California and Illinois are three of the states with the highest state income taxes.  Blue states will point to the expiration of pandemic-era welfare programs such as expanded child tax credits and the eviction moratorium for their problems. What they won’t point to is their poor tax and spend policies that have dramatically increased the cost of living and driven out of their states employers who then do business in other states.

Cost of Caring for One Homeless Person

Another striking factor is the cost of government programs aimed at addressing homelessness. Blue states tend to spend significantly more per homeless person compared to red states, often with less effective outcomes. In California, they spend almost four times as much per homeless person versus Texas – $45,000 vs. %12,000. New York spends $38,000 and Florida $14,500.

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Despite spending far more, blue states have seen homelessness rise sharply, proving the inefficiencies in how resources are allocated and the consequences of poor policy decisions. Florida and Texas, by comparison, invest in more targeted programs like addiction treatment and transitional housing, which yield better long-term results in my view.

Migration and Mismanagement

Blue states will largely blame the rise in homelessness on a heavy influx of large-scale migration. They will say this happened because Red states transported migrants to their areas. These cities never admit that they declared themselves sanctuary cities or acknowledge the policies that have kept them from accommodating these populations more effectively and led to this mismanagement of wide-scale homelessness.

What are one of the reasons? Housing starts. Higher housing costs, more stringent zoning and environmental regulations in progressive states have led to directly restricting housing supply and driven up prices. Over the last year, Texas issued more than 230,000 housing start permits and Florida issued more than 190,000. California, New York and Illinois issued, respectively, 117,760, 48,807 and 16,863. 

Blue state leadership will say they need more affordable housing (or housing period), but the housing starts suggest otherwise.

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Ignoring the Root Causes

The “housing first” approach championed by blue states has failed to deliver meaningful results. HUD allocates $72 billion annually – primarily for affordable housing – and states like California spend billions more on similar initiatives. Over the past five years, California alone has spent $24 billion to combat homelessness, yet the crisis has worsened. Even with federal waivers allowing California to use Medicaid funds for housing, the state has seen drug rehabilitation centers close due to insufficient government reimbursements.

A More Pragmatic Approach

Red states like Florida and Texas have adopted more effective strategies. These states use legal measures such as prosecuting drug possession and public disorder to encourage addicts and individuals with mental illnesses to seek treatment as an alternative to incarceration. This approach is both practical and compassionate, ensuring that vulnerable populations receive help while keeping public spaces safe.

Progressive policies, by contrast, often prioritize expanding housing subsidies without addressing behavioral health challenges. This preference ultimately leaves many homeless individuals to fend for themselves on the streets – a stark contrast to the more structured interventions in states like Florida and Texas.

What Way Do We Move Forward?

America’s homelessness crisis underscores the failures of progressive governance in addressing complex social issues. Nobody in this country should be homeless. Nobody. Adopting more balanced approaches like those in Florida and Texas, blue state leadership could better address the root causes of homelessness and provide lasting solutions for their most vulnerable residents.

Let’s get a roof over everyone’s head. It all starts with leadership!

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