Data shows Homelessness is a problem in Illinois not just Chicago

The numbers are alarming, homelessness in the Land of Lincoln is up and it is not just because of Chicago, here is what you need to know...

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According to Axios Chicago, homelessness is on the rise in Illinois and Chicago, as homelessness reached record highs across the United States in 2023. In an article on Axios, they say...

" U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that roughly 653,100 people nationwide, including nearly 11,950 in Illinois, experienced homelessness on a single night last year... The HUD snapshot suggests Illinois' homelessness rate in 2023, 9.5 people per 10,000, is up from 8 in 2019"

These numbers are very concerning, NPR Illinois also released an article back in November talking about the homeless issue in the Land of Lincoln, in that article, they say...

"So we estimate that about 120,000 people in Illinois experience homelessness. About 44,000 people each year experience literal homelessness, meaning living in a shelter or living outside or living in an abandoned building or a car."

To read more on that, click here!

More focus on downstate Illinois

One of the things that the Axios article mentions is that Chicago has passed a $100 million program that will help to fight homelessness in the city, that is GREAT! But...that doesn't help the homelessness issue in the rest of the state. Yes, the United States as a whole is suffering a growth of homelessness in the country but that shouldn't be an excuse as to why Illinois is struggling with the issue. The state needs to put together a real plan to combat this growing issue in the Land of Lincoln before it gets too big to handle.