On Feb. 10, a Detroit mother lost two of her children, ages 2 and 9, to hypothermia while sleeping in a van they had taken shelter in. The family was homeless for five months and had reportedly reached out three times to the city’s homeless response team for assistance. 

City officials scrambled after the incident to temporarily prioritize the problem of homelessness, with the Detroit mayor promising a 24-hour housing hotline following this incident.

This comes as the homelessness crisis in America rages on. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. continues to experience record numbers of unhoused individuals.

The HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report in 2023 found that over 650,000 people in the U.S. lack permanent shelters. In 2024, that number was over 770,000, marking an 18 percent increase. 

Children experienced the most dramatic increase in homelessness in 2024. Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, representing a 33 percent increase from 2023. 

Cost of Living in the U.S.

Since the end of World War II, the cost of living in the U.S. has significantly changed. From the end of the war until the early 1960s, the birth of the nuclear family and economic prosperity was widespread in America.

As the U.S. took a more proactive role in global geopolitics — increasingly militant and interventionist — the cost of living for the average American shot up. 

In comparison to decades prior, the affordability of basic necessities for families and even individuals has skyrocketed, with wages failing to keep up with inflation and increasing costs for basic living necessities. 

The cost of housing, cars, rent, groceries, and other basic needs for the average American has continued to climb. This is especially true in the last five years following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to a 2024 survey conducted by PayrollOrg, 77 percent of workers in America are living paycheck to paycheck, and say they would experience financial difficulty if their payments were delayed by even a week.

With drastic jumps in prices for practically every need the average American has, many have to sacrifice services that are often considered universal rights in many developed or developing countries. 

More people in the U.S. are avoiding medical treatment due to their inability to afford it, including treatments and prescription drugs.

According to a 2024 West Health-Gallup survey, over 72 million people – about one in three U.S. adults – did not seek needed healthcare in the previous three months due to high costs. 

Veterans are no Exception

This reality also encompasses veterans, who have served in the U.S. military, but are still subject to severe economic hardships. 

In January 2024, close to 33,000 veterans experienced homelessness in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is frequently criticized for failing the country’s veterans by overlooking their needs. 

While the rate of homelessness among veterans has decreased over the years, the lack of access to resources like affordable housing, mental health support, and employment opportunities continues to keep veterans on the streets. 

U.S. Military Spending and Public Trust

With all of these issues at home, the U.S. continues to send tens of billions of dollars in military and “humanitarian” aid to Israel, Ukraine, and more recently Taiwan. As the U.S. continues to spend taxpayer dollars abroad, Americans are increasingly calling out their government officials for neglecting their needs.   

Roughly seven in 10 Americans believe that too much money is being spent by the government on assistance to foreign countries. This comes as distrust in the government has been increasing among the public in recent years, in both parties. 

A Partnership for Public Service poll found 23 percent trust in the government in 2024, compared to 35 percent in 2022. Additionally, a Pew Research poll last year revealed that more than 80 percent of Americans believe their elected officials do not care what ‘people like them’ think.