An encampment. (Via Getty Images)
Depicting a disheartening picture, homelessness in New Hampshire worsened in 2023, as per a new report from the NH Coalition to End Homelessness.
The total number of individuals who experienced homelessness in 2023 increased to 2,441 from 1,605 in 2022, representing a 52% uptick. The numbers are based on a Point in Time (PIT) Count, a nationwide survey of unhoused people conducted on a single night in January every year.
“This year’s report, based on available data from 2023, shows that, sadly, the growth in homelessness in NH continues, despite the passion and hard work that homeless service providers and other advocates expend every day to stem this tide,” said Jennifer Chisholm, executive director of the NH Coalition to End Homelessness, in a news release.
NH experienced the highest percentage increase in its PIT Count of any state in 2023, with an average national increase of 12%, according to the report.
This comes, after a series of inactions by Gov. Sununu’s administration. In 2020, all 13 New Hampshire mayors signed a letter urging Gov. Sununu to prioritize housing affordability and stability. In 2023, several mayors issued another letter asking to take meaningful action to help New Hampshire’s unhoused population. Around the same time, outgoing Gov. Sununu also declined a meeting with New Hampshire’s mayors and criticized the “tone” of the mayors’ letters.
Among the overall unhoused population, the burden was unequitably distributed across races. Of the 2,441 people who reported experiencing homelessness, 481, or 19.7%, identified as a race or ethnicity other than white, while only making up 11.4% of the state’s population.
Despite many groups not faring well, there was improvement in veteran homelessness in the state, dropping by almost 21.3% in 2023.
“It will take a lot of continued work to reverse these trends, but we know that homelessness is a solvable issue when the systems addressing it have ample resources and support,” Chisholm said.
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