12/21/2011 HUD's 2011 Annual Point-in-Time Count Report Supplement to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress

 

 

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES DECLINE IN HOMELESSNESS IN 2011
More than 3,000 Communities Report Number of Homeless Individuals, Families, and Veterans

On a single night last January (2011), 636,017 people were homeless in the United States, a 2.1 percent decline from January 2010.  That’s the key finding of a new count on homelessness announced on December 13 by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.  HUD’s annual “point in time” estimate of the number of homeless persons and families is based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties. While number of homeless persons vary locally, these communities are reporting modest declines in homelessness in every category or subpopulation including individuals, families, veterans and those experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness.

Key Findings of HUD’s estimate:

On a single night in January 2011, HUD and its partners found:

  • 636,017 people were homeless, a reduction of 2.1 percent (649,917) from January 2010, and 5.3 percent (671,888) since 2007. 
     
  • Veteran homelessness fell by nearly 12 percent (or 8,834 persons) since January 2010.
     
  • Homelessness among individuals declined 2 percent (or 13,900) from a year ago and 5.6 percent since 2007.  Meanwhile, the number of homeless families fell 2.8 percent from last year and 8 percent since 2007. 
     
  • Street homelessness (“the unsheltered homeless population) declined by 13 percent (or 36,786 people) since 2007.
     
  • Persons experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness declined 2.4 percent (or 2,664) from last year and 13.5 percent (or 16,635 persons) since 2007.  This steep reduction in chronic homelessness is largely attributed to the sharp growth in the supply of permanent supportive housing units – more than 30,000 beds between 2010 and 2011, and by more than 83,000 since 2007. 
     
  • Five states accounted for half of the nation’s total homeless population: California (21.4 percent); New York (10 percent); Florida (8.9 percent); Texas (5.8 percent); and Georgia (3.3 percent).

Read HUD’s 2011 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, including community-level data.

 

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