The largest decrease was among homeless war veterans. Their numbers went from 75,609 in 2009 to 67,495 in 2011, a reduction of 11 percent.
Thank goodness Obama cares about more than helping wealthy people get even more wealthy. Also, we should be cheering that people were able to access food stamps during the worst recession ever. Because people could get food assistance, they could pay the electric bill. Republicans think that's something to mock. Frankly, that's what I want my government to do -- give vulnerable people a hand up when they most need it. Now what we need is a new Congress so we can work on creating a fairer economic system, where people like Romney don't pay less in taxes than people who actually work.
Why did the number of homeless drop even while the economy was in the doldrums?
The report cites the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, or HPRP, a federal program established with $1.5 billion in funding from the stimulus package passed by Congress in 2009 at the urging of President Barack Obama. In 2010, its first year of operation, the program helped nearly 700,000 at-risk and homeless people, the report said.
Despite the slight dip in homelessness, there is much reason for concern and indicators suggest that homelessness may affect more Americans in the coming years. Among the findings is a 13 percent increase in “doubled up” households from 2009 to 2011 and a 22 percent increase in families below the poverty line paying 50 percent or more of their monthly income on housing. Read the rest
