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"SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Chronic homelessness continued to drop in Utah despite an overall increase in the homeless population, state officials said Monday.
Overall, there are an estimated 540 chronically homeless people living on Utah's streets, according to an annual population count. That is 9 percent fewer than in 2011 and the seventh year in a row that the number has dropped, said Gordon Walker, director of the Division of Housing and Community Development.
The homeless population did increase by 13 percent, from an estimated 14,351 to 16,642, which Walker said is expected during a weak economy.
But because of the continued reduction in chronic homelessness — when a person has been homeless for more than a year, or multiple times within the past five years — there is more room at housing shelters for those who are temporarily homeless.
Homeless outreach groups have conducted the annual census since 2004. Walker said they do the count on the same night in January, which provides consistency, and have a statistical model that accounts for the homeless they miss...." (Read more? Click title)
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