HUD report shows that Chronic Homelessness decreases 15 percent each year since 2005

If you notice on your usual morning stroll in the park that the homeless person is not in his usual spot, don’t worry about his whereabouts - be glad instead, because it could mean that he’s no longer homeless!

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, there is an average annual decrease of 15 percent in chronic homelessness in the country. Chronic homeless people are disabled persons who have been continuously homeless for more than a year or have been homeless for at least four times in the last three years. The study showed that last year, 32,000 people have stopped living in the streets and emergency shelters. All in all, almost 1.6 billion homeless people have found shelters in 2007.

Local communities across the United States declare that from 175,914 in 2005, the number of chronically homeless people went down to 155,623 in 2006 and 123,833 in 2007.

Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS)

HMISs are local data collection systems that allow researchers to identify the number of homeless people who found shelters over a 12-month period, instead of the previous “point-in-time” strategy where homeless people living in shelters are counted over one night. This kind of system allows for a better estimate and provides us with a better picture of the homelessness situation.
Findings of the third Annual Homeless Assessment Report showed that 1.6 billion homeless people have found shelters.

What do these figures signify?

Simply put, these numbers provide the government a basis for future housing programs. The HMIS has already given them the proper tool to determine the overall condition of chronic homelessness and allows officials to allocate housing funds more effectively. 

Increased funding from the HUD, availability of more resources, improved data collection and reporting has contributed to the decline in the homelessness rate. HUD Secretary Steve Preston expressed his elation at a meeting with the National Alliance to End Homelessness:

"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. But we must also recognize that we have a long way to go to find a more lasting solution for those struggling with homelessness every day."

The next time you take a stroll at the park, hopefully another homeless person won’t be in his usual bench spot.