Wisconsin's homeless population sees continued increase in 2023

MADISON (WKBT) -- Wisconsin's homeless population edged up in 2023. Though numbers remain near historic lows, rising costs of housing threaten to derail progress made in the past decade.

According to a report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum , the state's homeless population rose 1.8% in 2023, an increase from 4,775 in 2022 to 4,861.

The report shows homelessness in Wisconsin had been decreasing steadily since the passage of the HEARTH Act of 2009 , which restructured programs that serve the homeless in terms of reporting requirements and how they are awarded funding.

Since then, there's been a move away from temporary housing in favor of programs that find immediate permanent housing without prerequisites, also known as the "Housing First" approach.

Data from the Department of Housing and Urban Deveopment show the homeless population in Wisconsin reported at 6,055 in 2014, which decreased to a low of 4,237 in 2021. The numbers come from annual-point-in-time counts, which include both unsheltered and those in temporary housing such as emergency shelters.

The report says these numbers are likely underestimates of the true homeless population because it does not include people staying with friends or relatives, nor does it include those who are participating in permanent housing programs.

It's in the years following the throws of the COVID-19 pandemic that show those numbers increasing again. The Wisconsin Policy Forum's report says the increase is initially due to layoffs and economic hardships that came with the pandemic and are now being driven by rising housing costs.

With some pandemic-era spending coming to an end, the challenge of addressing homelessness may become more difficult. The median sale price of a home went from $147,750 in 2014 to $285,000 last year, a whopping 92.9% increase.

The conclusion of Wisconsin Policy Forum's report recommends expanding permanent housing programs, but acknowledges that the obstacles to increasing that supply of low-income, permanent options for housing will make that goal more challenging.

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