Number of Nev. homeless down 6 percent in 2012
Number of homeless people in Nevada down 6 percent in 2012 count
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An annual nationwide census shows the number of homeless people in Nevada has dropped 6 percent between 2011 and 2012.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports Monday that 9,926 homeless people were counted in Nevada during the 2012 census. That's down from 10,579 a year earlier.
This year's number includes just fewer than 2,000 chronically homeless people, and a little more than 1,400 homeless veterans.
The data comes from a nationwide, point-in-time count conducted by community workers one night in late January. The count found about 634,000 homeless people in the U.S.
Overall numbers were down less than 1 percent, but homelessness among veterans was down 7 percent year-over-year.
Federal housing officials attribute that largely to a rental assistance program coordinated by Veterans Affairs and HUD.
