Homelessness Remains Stable in 2012, Declines in Past Five Years, Annual Report Finds

BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of people who experience homelessness remained stable in the past year, but has declined by 5.7 percent since 2007, according to new Abt Associates' research conducted for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On a single night in January 2012, 633,782 people were homeless in the United States, with 62 percent of them homeless as individuals and 38 percent who were homeless in families.

Abt, which has conducted this study for a decade, analyzed point-in-time data on the number of homeless individuals and families throughout the U.S. to produce the annual estimates of homelessness.

Among the key findings:

• The number of veterans who experience homelessness declined by 7.2 percent since 2011 and by 17.2 percent since 2009.
• Five states accounted for nearly half of the nation's total homeless population: California (20.7 percent); New York (11 percent); Florida (8.7 percent); Texas (5.4 percent); and Georgia (3.2 percent).
• In 2012, a little less than 100,000 people were chronically homeless, representing 16 percent of all homeless people. Chronic homelessness, which refers to someone who has been continually homeless for more than a year or has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years, dropped by 19.3 percent since 20007.

Download a full copy of the report here: http://abtassociates.com/Reports/2012/2012-Annual-Homeless-Assessment-Report.aspx

"For more than a decade, Abt has been at the forefront of providing research and technical assistance to reduce and prevent homelessness," said Mary Joel Holin, division vice president for Social and Economic Policy at Abt. "This study is a powerful tool in helping the government understand the magnitude of homelessness and track progress on efforts to end it."

About Abt Associates 
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates was ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms in 2012 and also named one of the top 40 international development innovators.  The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in nearly 40 countries. www.abtassociates.com

SOURCE Abt Associates

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