Advertisement Homelessness growing at faster rate in Massachusetts than any other state Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of homelessness in the nation, but a new federal report shows the problem is growing at a rapid pace.The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, completed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, shows that homelessness in Massachusetts grew by 14.2 percent from 2017 to 2018. That increase, which equates to 2,503 people, is the largest in the nation. Approximately 132 of those newly homeless individuals were military veterans, the research found.Over the past decade, homelessness in Massachusetts has increased by 32.7 percent, the report said. That's second only to New York state, which saw an increase of 46.8 percent. "New York and Massachusetts also had very high rates of homelessness among families. In 2018, 57 out of every 10,000 people in New York and 44 out of every 10,000 people in Massachusetts experienced homelessness," the report said. Meanwhile, the report showed a glimmer of hope for the homeless crisis that has gripped many cities up and down the West Coast.The number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and San Diego, two epicenters of the homelessness crisis, fell this year, suggesting those cities' efforts to combat the problem could be starting to pay off."We still have a long way to go even though there's been significant progress," HUD Secretary Ben Carson said.In Los Angeles, the count fell by 3 percent after a sharp increase the year before. Peter Lynn, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said that can be credited to results of six months of stepped-up homeless services after Los Angeles County voters raised taxes to help in 2017.Cities in California, Oregon and Washington have driven an overall spike in the number of homeless people nationwide in recent years. This year's count continued that trend, showing 552,800 people without homes across the country, up by about 2,000 from 2017, according to the HUD's point-in-time tally. It was the second consecutive increase after seven straight years of declines.The number of homeless referred to as unsheltered -- those living in the streets, encampments or other open places -- was more than 194,000 nationwide. That also was up from last year.Of the 20,068 homeless individuals in Massachusetts -- including 13,257 people from families with children -- the HUD report found that 985 were unsheltered. That's one of the lowest rates in the nation. Nationwide, the overall increase this year was driven by a 2 percent rise in the unsheltered homeless population -- those living in vehicles, tents and on the streets -- along with 4,000 people in emergency shelters after hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters, according to HUD. The numbers of homeless veterans and families continued their long-term declines.At a time when rents are rising faster than wages -- especially for lower-income people -- an essentially stagnant count is a not a bad sign, said Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness."Given what's going on with rental housing, it's not exactly good news. But it means communities are pushing back against the headwinds," said Berg, who like other advocates urges caution about reading too much into one-year trends in the homeless count.The Associated Press contributed to this report.