How Did Homelessness Change During the Great Recession and Recovery?

Authors

Jenny Schuetz, The Brookings InstitutionFollow
Matthew Ring, The Brookings InstitutionFollow

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

8-9-2021

Publisher

Brookings Mountain West

First page number:

1

Last page number:

10

Abstract

Job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated housing insecurity among low-income renters over the past year. Federal, state, and local policymakers have created temporary measures to help reduce displacement among people who have lost their jobs, but there is considerable uncertainty about what will happen when these temporary measures end. To gain insight into how homelessness changes over macroeconomic cycles, we examine changes in homelessness rates from 2007 to 2020. Our analysis focuses on four metro areas that were particularly hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Riverside. Overall homelessness rates declined in all metros except Los Angeles during this time, but the share of unsheltered homeless persons has increased in recent years.

Keywords

Housing; COVID-19; Families; Job loss; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Riverside

Disciplines

Economic Policy | Health Policy | Human Geography | Income Distribution | Public Affairs | Public Policy | Real Estate | Social Welfare

File Format

pdf

File Size

521 KB

Language

English

Repository Citation

Schuetz, J., Ring, M. (2021). How Did Homelessness Change During the Great Recession and Recovery?. 1-10.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/brookings_policybriefs_reports/6