Homelessness drops 2 percent in USA since previous year

At 1st glance, the huge progress in that has-been made is not instantly obvious.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $145,101 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Project Based Voucher grant for the Housing Authority of the City of Napa.

More than 47,000 veterans were homeless, down by about 4 percent from a year ago.

In Madison/Dane County, the total count of homeless people dipped slightly from January 2014’s 777 to 771 this January, according to HUD data.

Also in the report, Honolulu, Hawaii has the largest number of homeless of any small USA city, Santa Ana and Anaheim area of Orange County, California came in second. The number of unsheltered homeless veterans across the nation has plummeted by 50% in the past four years.

This progress is the result of unprecedented attention from policymakers.

That’s because the administration wants to end homelessness among veterans this year – a goal that looks increasingly unreachable.

Homelessness is on the rise in many of America’s biggest cities as wealth concentrates in urban centers, elevating rents and squeezing supplies of affordable housing in places like Los Angeles and NY, new federal data show.

Mic: What are the core factors that explain the huge drop in veteran homelessness?

This is an example of how Washington should work. We will solve this challenge community by community. “And while there is much to be done, we know it is working”. “It addresses a range of urgent housing needs, from producing affordable rental housing, to promoting home ownership, to assisting homeless persons and families in need of housing”. Another 289 of our homeless are “severely mentally ill”. The usual dynamic of public policy is that we expect responsibility from someone, and then we give them an opportunity.

They can prove that they moved twice in 60 days, AND they did not have permanent housing for those 60 days, AND that they have a specified physical or mental condition that would keep them without permanent housing for a long time.

The actual US homeless population is likely higher than HUD’s snapshot suggests because many people living without the means to put a roof over their heads are beyond the reach of the survey, sleeping on a friend’s couch or a relative’s basement.

“Children need structure and routine, and due to homelessness, I as a parent can not provide that, because I have no control over certain things like what time the lights go off. My children are often left trying to do their homework by the light of the cellphone, or on the bus on the way to school the next morning or sometimes even in class the next day”, she said. “They get exhausted of you now”.

Vietnam veteran Barry Boudreau (R), formerly homeless, chats with his case manager Brent Soares at a studio apartment on January 12, 2012 in Quincy, Massachusetts. He hasn’t had his own home for about 10 years now. But states across the country are passing tons of laws that make it harder for homeless people to survive outside. Another 608 of the state’s homeless are listed as engaging in “chronic substance abuse” while another 279 of them are veterans. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). “Some vets have been waiting far too long to get placed, and I am grateful this funding will help speed up the process and ensure our vets in New Jersey expediently find a permanent place to call home”.