FACT BRIEFIs homelessness in Nevada at its highest since the Great Recession?
No.
Homelessness in Nevada currently is not at its highest since the Great Recession, which peaked at 14,478 people in 2009. In 2014, the number of people experiencing homelessness reached 9,417, and 2023 data shows 8,666 people experiencing homelessness.
Reported rates of homelessness rose from 2008 to 2010, peaking at 41.8 per 10,000 people in 2009. Homelessness rates as of 2023 stand at 27.1 people per 10,000 in Nevada, the 11th highest rate in the nation, but the rate was higher in 2014 — 36.4 per 10,000 people.
A study by the Nevada-based Guinn Center for Policy Priorities found that high rental prices can lead to increases in homelessness. The report found nearly half of Nevada’s renters spend an excessive portion of their income on housing.
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Sources
- Brookings Homelessness fell across most metro areas after the Great Recession. Will COVID-19 change that?
- Guinn Center for Policy Priorities Housing Affordability in Nevada: An Economic Analysis and Policy Considerations
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress
- National Alliance to End Homelessness NV Fact Sheet
- Las Vegas Review-Journal 2014 homeless census finds population in Clark Southern Nevada grows
- Affordable Housing Finance Highest Rates of Homelessness
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