Did you know that, according to the annual report on homelessness by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 770,000 people were living in shelters or outside in January 2024? This number is up 18% from the 2023 count and is the largest number since HUD began the count in 2007. It is likely an undercount as it doesn’t include people crowding in with family or friends when they can’t afford rent any longer. Rising rents and a housing shortage are factors contributing to this increase. Federal aid during the pandemic helped stem the rise in homelessness, but this funding has ended. Migrants seeking asylum from dangerous conditions in their home countries and unaccompanied youth contribute to this increase as have extreme weather disasters like the devastating fires on Maui last year. Jeff Oliver, former executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, describes a massive shortage of affordable housing that has pushed prices up; where rents rise, so does homelessness. While public frustration with this problem is understandable, we must advocate as Christians and Catholics for compassion when addressing solutions. Criminalizing homelessness will not solve it; rather, a range of interventions including mental health support, help with addiction, job training, resources geared toward protecting unhoused minors from exploitation and abuse, along with provision of more affordable housing are all needed in order to fulfill our obligation under Catholic Social Teaching to advocate for human dignity and care for the poor and vulnerable.