1-Night Count Finds Rise in Homeless Population
The city’s one-night homeless count found 55% more people than a year ago.
The third annual count was conduced last month by 121 volunteers, who found 7,305 homeless people, compared with 5,376 last year.
Officials said 3,136 of those counted were living on the streets. The rest were in shelters, hospitals, jails and treatment programs.
The count showed an overall 36% increase from last year. It was attributed to milder weather and the increased skills of census takers.
Homeless advocates said the count is misleading because it takes at least three weeks to conduct an accurate count.
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