SC sees double-digit spike in residents seeking homelessness aid, new report shows. What to know

The number of people who sought homelessness aid in 2021 jumped 18% year over year, a new report states.

The South Carolina Interagency Council of Homelessness, a statewide network of advocates and service providers, recently released its annual State of Homeless Report — providing key trends that offer communities the data needed to prepare and hopefully reduce homelessness in the months and years ahead. The report comes as concerns that inflation and rising interest rates in 2022 have created new challenges for the homeless or those on the verge of losing their homes.

The report shows that 13,399 people received homeless services in the state in 2021, an 18% jump from 10,969 people a year earlier.

Of those, 2,446 children received homeless services in 2021, with the median age of children served being 8 years old.

Single adults accounted for 90% of the people served. Also, 46 years old was the median age of adults served in 2021, the report shows.

The report states that 68% of the people who sought services came from literal homelessness. Also, 53% of people who sought services in 2021 reported experiencing homelessness for more than 12 months. And 36% of people seeking aid reported experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Prices on food, gas and housing have risen considerably over the past year, due mainly to skyrocketing inflation — cost-of-living increases that could contribute to more homelessness.

Over the past year as of November, food prices rose 10.6%, gas prices jumped 10.1% and electricity costs spiked 13.7% compared to 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rent across the state has risen all year as well. In Columbia, for instance, average rent for a studio apartment was $1,117 as of Dec. 26, an 11% increase year over year, statistics from rent.com show. In Lexington, average rent for a studio has risen 3% over the previous year, while in Charleston it’s up 18%.

For information on how to request assistance with rent and or utility bills in South Carolina, click here.

Here is a demographic breakdown of the people served in 2021 compared to 2020.

Total served

10,969 (2020) | 13,399 (2021)

Gender

64% male (2020) | 60% male (2021)

Race

56% black (2020) | 53% black (2021)

Veterans

2,535 (2020) | 2,168 (2021)

Domestic violence victims

1,403 (2020) | 1,592 (2021)