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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Homelessness in the US

  • New York’s rise in homelessness went against national trend, U.S. report finds, By Nikita Stewart, November 19, 2015, New York Times: “The federal government’s annual homelessness count showed an increase in New Yorkers living on the streets or in shelters, even as the number of homeless people nationwide dipped slightly compared with the previous year. The results of the count, released on Thursday by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, confirmed what many New Yorkers had already recognized, particularly in recent months — that homelessness was rising and that more government action was needed…”
  • Homelessness ticks downward across US, despite local crises, By Corey Fedde, November 20, 2015, Christian Science Monitor: “The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States dipped slightly this year, according to federal data released Thursday.  A Housing and Urban Development (HUD) study found 565,000 people – roughly a quarter of them children – were homeless in the US during a point-in-time survey conducted in January. The number reflects a two percent decrease from 2014, and an 11 percent drop since 2007.  While the downward trend, however slight, is promising, advocates are cautious to celebrate declines just yet…”
  • New data show homelessness dropped early this year, HUD says, but problems persist, By Lisa Rein, November 20, 2015, Washington Post: “New figures released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Thursday show that 564,708 people were homeless on a night in January of this year, a 2 percent drop from 2014.  HUD officials said the decline, of a total of 11 percent since 2007, is an encouraging sign that the Obama administration is succeeding in its five-year-old goal of preventing and ending homelessness and ending what the government calls chronic homelessness by 2017…”