Natural Disasters Drive Homelessness as Safety Nets Are Being Cut
The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has been cited as a source of the 33% increase in homelessness seen in the latest numbers for North Carolina. While the country as a whole saw a slight decrease in overall homelessness, North Carolina saw the largest increase of any individual state.
More than 4,000 emergency shelter beds were added as a direct result of the storm. The increase was also observed across all categories of homelessness measured in the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. The number of families with children now experiencing homelessness has risen by 24 percent, while the number of unaccompanied homeless youth is up by nearly 35 percent.
This is a pattern we’re likely to see more often as the effects of climate change worsen and federal disaster response becomes less effective.
Disasters Drive Homelessness
The effects of natural disasters on homelessness levels were demonstrated clearly in the data from North Carolina. Two of the state’s Continuums of Care saw a huge increase in the wake of the storm — the Asheville/Buncombe County CoC, where the storm was focused, and the Balance of State CoC, which covers the surrounding areas…