Homeless Population in U.S. Drops Overall, but Rises in Some Areas

Homelessness in the U.S. declined in 2016 by nearly 3% from the previous year, new federal data shows, though some states, including California, Washington, Colorado and Oklahoma, as well as the District of Columbia, bucked that trend with notable increases. The nationwide homeless population was 549,928, compared with 564,708 in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual report to Congress, which was publicly released Thursday. The annual report tracks the number of people sleeping in shelters and streets across the U.S. on one given night each year.