. >> >> WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. THE U.S. IS SEEING A RECORD THE U.S. IS SEEING A RECORD RISE IN HOMELESSNESS THIS. RISE IN HOMELESSNESS THIS. ADVOCATES SAY RISING HOUSING ADVOCATES SAY RISING HOUSING COSTS, A LACK OF AFFORDABLE COSTS, A LACK OF AFFORDABLE RENTAL UNITS AND THE CONTINUING RENTAL UNITS AND THE CONTINUING OPIOID CRISIS ARE SENDING OPIOID CRISIS ARE SENDING MORE PEOPLE EVER INTO MORE PEOPLE EVER INTO THE STREETS. THE STREETS. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THE WALL STREET JOURNAL RECENTLY REVIEWED THE EARLY RECENTLY REVIEWED THE EARLY DATA. DATA. >> AND HERE'S WHAT THEY FOUND >> AND HERE'S WHAT THEY FOUND BY THE NUMBERS. BY THE NUMBERS. THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS PEOPLE IS UP 11% FROM LAST PEOPLE IS UP 11% FROM LAST YEAR. YEAR. THAT'S THE BIGGEST INCREASE THAT'S THE BIGGEST INCREASE SINCE THE GOVERNMENT STARTED SINCE THE GOVERNMENT STARTED THE ISSUE BACK IN 2007. THE ISSUE BACK IN 2007. FOR COMPARISON, THE NEXT FOR COMPARISON, THE NEXT HIGHEST WAS 2.7% IN 2019. HIGHEST WAS 2.7% IN 2019. THE JOURNAL GOT ITS NUMBERS THE JOURNAL GOT ITS NUMBERS BY REVIEWING DATA FROM BY REVIEWING DATA FROM MORE THAN 300 ORGANIZATIONS MORE THAN 300 ORGANIZATIONS THAT TRACK THE NUMBER THAT TRACK THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS IN THEIR LOCAL OF HOMELESS IN THEIR LOCAL AREAS. AREAS. EVEN WITH SOME OF THE EVEN WITH SOME OF THE ORGANIZATION'S NUMBERS ORGANIZATION'S NUMBERS OUTSTANDING, THEY TALLIED OUTSTANDING, THEY TALLIED 577,000 HOMELESS PEOPLE IN 577,000 HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE U.S.. THE U.S.. HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THEY FOUND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THEY FOUND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. DENVER A 32% INCREASE DENVER A 32% INCREASE IN HOMELESS PEOPLE IN IN HOMELESS PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS, THE NUMBER NEW ORLEANS, THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS INCREASED ALMOST OF HOMELESS INCREASED ALMOST 15% IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY. 15% IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY. REPORTS A NEARLY 10% INCREASE REPORTS A NEARLY 10% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. FROM LAST YEAR. SOME PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, SOME PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, WHICH REPORTED NEARLY 83,000 WHICH REPORTED NEARLY 83,000 PEOPLE IN SHELTERS, HAVE PEOPLE IN SHELTERS, HAVE SAID AN INFLUX OF REFUGEES SAID AN INFLUX OF REFUGEES IS INFLATING HOMELESS. IS INFLATING HOMELESS. AND A PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND A PRINCETON UNIVERSITY SURVEY OF EVICTIONS IN MORE SURVEY OF EVICTIONS IN MORE THAN 30 CITIES FOUND THEY'RE UP THAN 30 CITIES FOUND THEY'RE UP NEARLY EVERYWHERE. NEARLY EVERYWHERE. FURTHER, THE RISE FURTHER, THE RISE IN HOMELESSNESS. IN HOMELESSNESS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT USES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT USES THE SAME METHOD FOR THE SAME METHOD FOR THEIR HOMELESS CENSUS. THEIR HOMELESS CENSUS. THEIR NUMBERS ARE DUE LATER THEIR NUMBERS ARE DUE LATER THIS YEAR. THIS YEAR. THE GOVERNMENT'S COUNCIL THE GOVERNMENT'S COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS BLAMED ON HOMELESSNESS BLAMED THE RISING NUMBERS ON HOUSING THE RISING NUMBERS ON HOUSING COSTS SHORTAGES. COSTS SHORTAGES.