The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released the "2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report" showing that homelessness in the U.S. has dropped by approximately four percent (4%) over the past two years from 633,782 to 610,040. HUD’s annual “point-in-time” estimates measure the scope of homelessness (e.g., unsheltered, in emergency shelters, or in transitional housing) during one night in January in more than 3,000 cities and counties across the nation every year.
The reduction in homelessness is in line with the Obama Administration's plan, “Opening Doors”, the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The Plan put together by 19 federal member agencies of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness along with local and state partners in the public and private sectors puts the country on a path to end Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020. The Plan presents strategies building upon the lesson that mainstream housing, health, education, and human service programs must be fully engaged and coordinated to prevent and end homelessness. For more information: http://usich.gov/index.php/opening_doors.
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