Homelessness drops for third straight year

[DonViejo]

Source: Salon/AP

Homelessness drops for third straight year

HOPE YEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of homeless people in the U.S. has declined for a third straight year.

That’s according to a new government survey. The Obama administration says the drop is due in part to more people getting government vouchers that help pay housing costs.

The survey says more than 610,000 people were homeless last year. That was down from more than 630,000 the previous year — a 4 percent drop. The study by the Housing and Urban Development Department counted people at a given point in time last January. The number of homeless military veterans was under 58,000, down 8 percent from the previous year. The number of chronically homeless people declined 7 percent, to about 93,000.

Since 2010, the number of homeless people has dropped 6 percent.

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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/11/21/homelessness_drops_for_third_straight_year/

[jtuck004]

1. It also helps that 36% of 18-31 year olds, a record 21 million, are still living at home.

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/08/01/a-rising-share-of-young-adults-live-in-their-parents-home/

[SCVDem]

2. Wanna Bet?

Got to call bullshit!

[maxsolomon]

5. Anecdotally, I agree with you.

It certainly seems as if the Homeless population does nothing but increase.

But any drop is good news.

[Berlum]

3. "Damn it. Damn it all to Hell." - Republicons

[tazkcmo]

4. How do you even measure this?

600k? No way. Probably that many in NY, LA and Chicago. I've been homeless myself, more than once. Have had to prove (unsuccessfully) that I was homeless. I thought my very lack of credit, rental, utility history was an obvious indicator and the fact that I put my license plate number in the "Current Address" block on the application to get my gas hooked up on a soon to get apartment. How do you prove your homeless or even track it in such a large country? In my experience, few of my fellow homeless were on any government program. We did not exist. Not in D.C. or in most folk's worlds that passed us by.

And if it did indeed decrease, why? Attrition (death)? Economic improvement? Luck?

I hope it's true but find it difficult to believe given recent actions like the sequester, obstruction and actual cuts in SNAP or that they even know.

[PM Martin]

6. What's that? Government works? Here that teabaggers?

"The Obama administration says the drop is due in part to more people getting government vouchers that help pay housing costs."

[Fumesucker]

7. Interesting, Lady Freedom Returns says the homeless need dark blankets for camouflage

So that they can be less easy to spot while they sleep.

I suspect that such need for camouflage is at least partly due to a desire to avoid notice by the authorities with subsequent less than entirely salubrious consequences.

[reddread]

8. they just want to give them housing

right.
the trends and intentions in population counts have swung wildly.
The massive tent cities disappear as they are thoroughly bulldozed THIS YEAR.
Without the former token housing voucher efforts taking place in advance or during.
Certainly not after, once the diaspora is scattered and made unwelcome in centers of aid,
you sure cant help them then.
the money being doled out is spent in the least effective and efficient ways.
but at least it winds up in deserving, connected pockets.
I can not take Salon seriously, and this really seals the deal.

[Celefin]

9. Charitable giving hit a 10-year low 5 years ago and has only just recovered

http://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/charitable-giving-statistics

Then there has been the sequester.

Of course there is progress and this is not to demean that, but one shouldn't forget that people fall out of statistics for other reasons as well.
Winter, for example.

Let's just hope that Republicans will not be able to reverse the trend.