WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Monday that homelessness among the nation’s veterans declined by about 12 percent during a one-year period ending last January.
Officials said the drop is a sign of progress and that the administration is on track for reaching President Barack Obama’s goal of eliminating homelessness among veterans by 2015.
In all, there are nearly 67,500 homeless veterans, according to a survey that thousands of communities around the country help to administer each January. More than 76,000 homeless vets were counted in the prior year’s survey.
Shaun Donovan, secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, attributed much of the drop to getting more veterans to participate in a voucher program that greatly subsidizes their housing costs. While Congress has regularly increased funding for the voucher program, thousands of veterans were not taking advantage of the help.
Officials said they were particularly encouraged with the results given that the drop occurred during a sluggish economy still shaking off the effects of a deep recession.
The Associated Press
