The number of homeless people in Houston, Texas, has been cut almost in half over the past four years, as the city’s homeless advocates push to bring the number to zero.
“We have truly gone from managing homelessness to ending homelessness,” said Marilyn Brown, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County in a statement. “We are just getting our second wind.”
Houston has taken sweeping steps to alleviate the condition, including a new plan in 2012 that added more than 250 new available housing units. More than 1,000 additional units are planned, and the number of homeless shelters has increased. The efforts have delivered housing to more than 3,600 homeless veterans.
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The Coalition reported the number of homeless folks dropped from 8,538 in 2011 to 4,609 this year — a 46% decrease.
The city wants to end all chronic homelessness by the end of 2015 – defined as being without a home for a year or without housing four times in three years, often coupled with a disability.
City leaders also believe they are within reach of ending youth and family homelessness in Houston by 2020.
(READ more at Essence) – Photo by Katie Haugland, CC
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