homelessness.

Starting in 2007, the Department# of Housing and Urban Development sent volunteers## out on a single night each January to# count all the people they could find who## didn't have shelter.

Experts caution that# this is not a census and it's likely an## undercount because it's hard to find everyone# experiencing homelessness on a single night.

This year, they counted more than 650,000.# That's a 12 percent increase over the last year,## the biggest one year jump on record, and more than# four times greater than any previous increase.

In the past a single category drove the increase.# But this year, all categories went up individuals,## families, unaccompanied children and so# on.

Ann Oliva is the CEO of the National## Alliance to End Homelessness.

Ann, what do# you make of those numbers of that big jump?

ANN OLIVA, CEO, National Alliance to# End Homelessness: Thank you first,## for having important topic.

And we need to make s You know, we are certainly concerned about# these numbers.

This is the highest number,## as you mentioned since 2007.

And it's# across all categories.

So what that## means to us is that this is a systemic# problem, and it needs systemic solutions.

JOHN YANG: So explaining that a systemic problem,## what needs to be changed# ANN OLIVA: So what this means is that we have# an affordable ho tells us and what the evidence tells us is that# when housing becomes less affordable for peopl homelessness increases, so seeing a 12 percent# jump year over year really should be a wake-up## call to many folks, including our partners in# the federal government, that we need to make## investments in affordable housing and services,# because we know that's what ends homelessness.

JOHN YANG: Why do you think it# went up so much?

I mean, obviously,## you say it's a -- it's a housing problem, d ANN OLIVA: Well, we've been tracking data# over the last year.

And while we were## deeply disappointed in this increase in 2023,# I can't say that we were surprised.

And that's# because we have seen sort of a perfect storm of# issues coming up over the last couple of years.

So for example, rents are skyrocketing# all over the country.

And people's wages## aren't keeping up with the amount# of rent that they have to pay.

So## they're paying more and more# of their income towards rent.

We saw the end of the COVID era protections,# the funding that was avail and individuals across the country and the end# of the eviction moratorium.

At the same time,## we are seeing this rise in unsheltered# in unsheltered homelessness.

So we have## a number of things that we need to# address structurally in this country.

JOHN YANG: Are there disparities in# terms of who is likely to be homeless?

ANN OLIVA: Yeah, thank you for asking# that question.

It is an important one.## There are disparities, historically marginalized## people are disproportionately impacted# by homelessness and housing Wh at I mean by that is people of# color, people with disabilities,## LGBTQ people are all disproportionately# impacted by homelessness and housing## instability, so they're more likely to# be homeless than others in our country.

JOHN YANG: You mentioned the COVID# era programs that were helping.

The## (inaudible) homeless was increasing from# 2016 until 2020.

And then it didn't rise## between 2020 and 2022.

Because of those# programs, is there a lesson in that?

ANN OLIVA: There's absolutely a lesson# in the COVID era protections.

First,## they were funded at a scale that's much# closer to the problem.

So for example,## HUD's homeless programs are funded at a# little bit more than $3 billion per year.

And the COVID Emergency rental# assistance program was funded at## $50 billion per year.

So you can see# the scale was much greater.

They were## also quite a bit more flexible than our# regular-- our regularly funded programs.

So as those pandemic era protection protections# and resources started to dwindle, again,## it is not surprising that we are# seeing an increase in homelessness## and at this same time that we're# seeing those skyrocketing rents.

JOHN YANG: President Biden campaigned on ending## homelessness.

Is he doing enough?

Or ANN OLIVA: Well, thank you for asking that.# I don't think that anybody's doing enough at## the federal, state or local level, when we see a# 12 percent increase over the I think it should be a call to action for# all of us who are concerned about people who## are living unsheltered across this country, and# people and families who are living in shelters.

So there's definitely more that we can do in# terms of resources that are made available## for this problem, and really funding affordable# housing at the scale that it needs to be funded.

JOHN YANG: Because you're trying# to expand affordable housing,## there's this need to involve# the private sector as well.

ANN OLIVA: So the best way to expand housing that# is affordable to that's usually somewhere between# zero and 30 percent of the area## median income is really to ensure that# the government is subsidizing rents,## and providing subsidies to folks who can do the# development that's needed.

Affordable housing is## really hard to do in the private sector.

Given how# expensive it can be in some markets, especially.

JOHN YANG: Ann Oliva, CEO of the National# Alliance to End Homelessness, thank you very much.

ANN OLIVA: Thank you so much for having me.