Homelessness in U.S. at 16-year high in 2023: report

BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of homeless people in the United States hit a 16-year high, according to the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, which was released on Wednesday.

According to data published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Dec. 15, 2023, the number of homeless people in the United States at this stage exceeds 650,000, the highest since reporting began in 2007, said the report issued by China's State Council Information Office.

Forty percent of the homeless live in streets without shelter, abandoned buildings or other places not meant for human habitation, it said.

"Homeless people not only struggle to survive, but also face an increasing risk of criminal conviction," it added.

Noting that the gap between the rich and the poor is further widening in the United States, the report also draws attention to worsening problems including the "working poor," food shortages, rising suicide rates, and drug and substance abuse.