Study: Homelessness down in U.S.

By Jackie Brousseau

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A new report shows that the number of people living on the streets has gone down.

The report, from the National Alliance to End Homelessness , followed statistics from 2009 to 2011. The survey found that the number of people who were homeless dropped one percent in that time period.

This was, in part, thanks to a major push by federal and local officials to end homelessness for good. An example of that is the new resource center and permanent housing at the Worthington Street Shelter in Springfield.

Most of those taken off the streets were people who are considered chronically homeless; those who have been out there for at least a year and have some sort of disability. That number dropped by 3%.

Despite the progress, Bill Miller, Executive Director of Friends of the Homeless, told 22News that the number of people they've seen come through their doors who are homeless because of a lost job or foreclosed home has actually gone up.

Daniella Rhodes is one of those people. “I lost my job and in losing my job I couldn't pay my rent, and I had to move,” Rhodes said.

Miller said that the goal now is to make sure people who have just recently lost their home like Daniella, do not become chronically homeless as well. “We’ve got to match people with jobs, do more work in the jobs and job training side of things,” Miller said.

For those who can't seem to get out of the homeless cycle, Miller says there needs to be a push for more affordable housing and job training as well.

To read the National Alliance to End Homelessness report, follow this link: http://www.endhomelessness.org