Photo by rjs1322.
Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released their 2013 Annual Assessment Report to Congress and it did not reveal good news for D.C.’s homeless population.
According to the report, the homeless population in D.C. has steadily risen since 2007, despite the national homeless population’s steady decline. The report states that the District has seen a 29 percent increase in its homeless population between 2007 and 2013, which translates to 1,545 more homeless D.C. citizens in 2013 than 2007. D.C. is fourth in largest increases, sitting just behind Missouri, Massachusetts, and New York. However, New York saw an increase in 14,829 homeless people—or 23 percent—compared to D.C.’s 1,545, just to give you an idea of how population affects the numbers.
In the national findings, the AHAR report states that homelessness declined by nearly four percent between 2012 and 2013 (number wise, that’s 23,740 people) and by a total of nine percent (or 61,846 people) between 2007 and 2013. In D.C., the report found that there are 6,865 homeless people. You can take a look below at the full breakdown of D.C.’s homeless stats, but I’d like to highlight that there 1,868 homeless children (under the age of 18). And as the winter months roll around, the city and homeless advocates are in a tussle over a proper protection plan for homeless minors.
DCist reached out to the Department of Health Services’ Homeless Services Program about the report and ways that the D.C. government can help homeless population in the city decrease, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
