The U.S. appears to be winning the war on homelessness.
According to data collected during a one-night “point in time” survey of the country’s homeless population, the number of homeless people has declined both nationally and in Mississippi.
The data, collected on one night in January each year since 2010, shows a 2 percent drop in the homeless population nationally and an 10.9 decrease in Mississippi over the past year.
In Mississippi, HUD figures released Thursday show that there were 1,983 homeless people in the state on the day of the estimate. Those numbers are also broken down by three regions — Coast, Metro Jackson and the rest of the state. The area that includes the Golden Triangle showed 809 total homeless people, including 243 unsheltered homeless people, which is defined as people living in places not meant for human habitation.
Nationally, 564,708 people were found to be homeless on the day of the estimate.
The homeless population in Mississippi has declined each year since 2009.
Reginald Glenn is coordinator for the Mississippi Balance of State, which is responsible for the 71 counties not including in the Gulf Coast and Metro Jackson areas.
Glenn said the data from the January survey is encouraging.
“I think it’s good in the sense that we are continuing to make a dent in the homeless population,” he told The Dispatch. “In the current funding cycle, Balance of State (BOS) has received $3.2 million and I think the numbers we see in this report shows that we are using that money effectively.”
While the national data does not break down the homeless populations by county, Glenn’s organization does track those numbers. During the January 2015 count, there were 36 people in Lowndes County counted as homeless in the point-in-time survey, which ranks sixth among the 71 counties in the BOS.
“What we are finding is that the biggest populations of homeless are around Meridian and Hattiesburg,” he said.
Glenn said he believes the momentum will continue as he prepares for the next point-in-time survey, which will be conducted in January.
“Although it probably won’t show it for next year, I think the new homeless coalition there in the Golden Triangle will begin to have an effect in your area,” Glenn said.
The Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition is less than a year old and continues its goal to build a shelter in Columbus.
The HUD numbers are not a complete picture of homelessness in the U.S., Glenn noted.
“HUD doesn’t count some groups of people, such as people who may be living temporarily with a friend or family member or people who are living in hotels,” he said. “A lot of groups and programs are out there and they serve unique populations for people who might be considered homeless in ways the HUD study doesn’t measure.
“But, generally-speaking, the results speak for themselves,” he said.
HUD’s 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report found that there had been an overall 11 percent decrease and a 26 percent drop in the unsheltered homeless population since 2010, when the Obama administration launched Open Doors, the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Veteran homelessness has decreased by 36 percent since the program started while family homelessness has decreased by 19 percent.
Homeless statistics
On a single night in January 2015, state and local planning agencies reported the following estimates of homelessness:
■ Overall, homelessness has declined by more than 72,000 people since 2010, an 11 percent reduction since the release of Opening Doors. In January 2015, an estimated 564,708 people were homeless on a given night. Most (69 percent) were staying in residential programs for homeless people, and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations.
■ Veteran homelessness fell by 36 percent between 2010 and January 2015, including a 47 percent decline in unsheltered veterans. On a single night in January 2015, fewer than 48,000 veterans were homeless, and only 34 percent of those were on the street. HUD expects this trend to continue.
■ Chronic homelessness among individuals continued to decline. Since 2010, chronic homelessness has declined 22 percent. More than 83,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in January 2015 were reported as chronically homeless.
■ There was a five percent reduction in families experiencing homelessness between the 2014 and January 2015. Between 2010 and January 2015, family homelessness declined by 19 percent.
■ In January 2015, the estimated number of unaccompanied homeless youth and children was 36,097.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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