The number of people experiencing homelessness stayed relatively flat between 2011 and 2012 despite continuing high unemployment levels, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
On the positive front, homelessness among veterans dropped 7.2 percent and the number of chronically homeless individuals fell 6.8 percent, reports the Alliance.
There was a decrease in all homeless subpopulations except for families. There was no change in the number of homeless family households, but the size of the average homeless family grew so the overall number of people in homeless families increased 1.4 percent.
At a given point in time in January 2012, there were 633,782 homeless people in the nation, just 0.4 percent fewer than the year before. This translates to a national homeless rate of 20 per 10,000 people.
Although the overall homeless population saw a decline, it is troubling that 28 states and the District of Columbia saw increases, according to the organization's "The State of Homelessness in America 2013" report.
It is also concerning to see a growing number of poor households doubling up, poor single-person households, and poor family households headed by a single adult. "Each of these household types has been shown to be at increased risk of homelessness due to the potential loss of housing based on lack of income or through changes in relationship status in doubled-up households," says the report.
There has also been a significant jump, 11.5 percent, in the number of poor adults accessing "safety net benefits."
The findings were released the day before the Obama administration unveiled its fiscal 2014 budget proposal. The White House plan seeks $301 million more than the prior year for Department of Housing and Urban Development programs that provide assistance through rapid re-housing for homeless families and permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals.
There would also be an additional $1.4 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs for homeless assistance programs, including $300 million for rapid re-housing and prevention efforts targeted at vets and their families, says the Alliance.
"If Congress backs away from funding these programs, the impact will be immediate and severe," says Steve Berg, Alliance vice president for programs and policy.
