How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness
There’s a strong correlation between homelessness and high rents; for example, rents climbed 65 percent in Phoenix from 2017 to 2022 and homelessness rose 54 percent. But, as the article notes, “Recent Pew research indicates that cities that added to their housing supply in recent years, typically by reforming their local zoning codes to allow more apartments to be built, succeeded in keeping rent growth low.” It also clearly states, “The academic research has consistently found that allowing more homes to be built keeps housing costs down.” Instead of focusing the discussion of homelessness on issues like mental health or substance abuse—which are important but much less so in terms of housing—the key to reducing homelessness is to build an abundant housing supply, which will lower costs.
