Homelessness in Maryland decreased by more than 8 percent between 2015 and 2016, according to statistics the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released Thursday.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in the state fell to 7,689 from 8,390 the previous year, an 8.4 percent decrease, the department found.
Maryland has seen a 29 percent decrease in overall homelessness in the state since 2010. The agency's statistics are based on point-in-time estimates, which survey the homeless population on a single night each January.
The number of people in families experiencing homelessness in Maryland decreased 10 percent between 2015 and 2016, HUD reported. There were 3,007 homeless people in families in 2015 and 2,706 in 2016.
Homelessness among veterans in the state was down 22.2 percent (or 159 people) in the same span, the statistics said. On a single night in January 2016, HUD said, 555 veterans were experiencing homelessness.
Long-term, or "chronic," homelessness in Maryland declined by more than a quarter — 26 percent, or 483 people — between 2015 and 2016, HUD said.
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