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HUD REPORTS DROP IN THE NUMBER OF CHRONICALLY HOMELESS PERSONS |
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From HUD Press Releases: That's according to a new report released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that points to a 15 percent average yearly reduction in chronic homelessness since 2005. For the first time ever, HUD's Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress is also able to report on the scope of homelessness in America over a full-year period. In an address before the National Alliance to End Homelessness, HUD Secretary Steve Preston said, "We can all be encouraged that we're making progress in reducing chronic street homelessness in America and with more resources and better reporting, we can continue this trend. HUD defines a chronically homeless person as a disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for more than one year or has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. In January 2007, more than 3,800 cities and counties counted the number of homeless persons on the street and in emergency shelters on a single night. However, comparing the number of chronically homeless individuals from year to year should be done with caution. Declines can be attributed to several factors including increased funding from HUD and other sources for permanent supportive housing, improved data collection and reporting, and variation in the number of communities reporting these data on an annual basis. Quantifying homelessness is extremely challenging and, in the past, has been limited mostly to single-night counts. HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs have also renewed the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) to provide permanent supportive housing for an estimated 10,000 homeless veterans nationwide.
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