INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates nearly 6,000 people in Indiana were homeless this year.
It announced Thursday that volunteers counted 5,798 homeless people during a single night in January. The agency says that’s a 10 percent drop from 2010.
In making the announcement, HUD Secretary Julián Castro noted that though the nation is making significant progress in reducing homelessness, the number of ‘doubled up’ or rent-burdened families remains a vexing problem.
“Every person deserves a safe, stable place to call home,” said Secretary Castro. “The Obama Administration has made unprecedented progress toward ending homelessness and today marks the seventh straight year of measurable progress. While we know that our work is far from finished, it’s clear we’re on the right track to prevent and end homelessness for good.”
HUD says more than 5,100 of the homeless population was located in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs and nearly 700 were living on the streets. The count does not include people who were living with friends and relatives.
It says the volunteers counted 663 homeless military veterans and 365 unaccompanied homeless youth and children.
