Fewer homeless living on the streets in Riverside County
A survey of homeless veterans in Riverside County in January found a 4% reduction among those living on the streets or in encampments, compared to a survey of the county’s entire homeless population one year ago, according to a release from the Department of Public Social Services.
The overall number of homeless veterans, however, rose from 285 in January 2013 to 290 in January 2014.
The 1% increase is due largely to the number of veterans living in emergency or transitional shelters.
The DPSS is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct a biennial count of homeless people living on streets, in abandoned buildings, at freeway overpasses and underpasses, in vehicles, encampments and other areas.
Officials said the survey is done at a ‘point-in-time’ in the early morning on a specific date in late January and hundreds of community volunteers assist with the count every other year.
