Count of homeless Mainers increases 26%
The number of homeless people in Maine rose 26% over last year, despite a national decline in homelessness over the same time period.
The latest data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that during one night in January 2013 there were 3,016 people homeless and without shelter in Maine, up from 2,393 recorded last year.
In 2009, the same survey counted 2,444 people homeless in the state. Nationally, the total number of homeless people dropped 4% to 610,042.
Joe Bradley, associate director of the Preble Street social services agency, told the Portland Press Herald he attributes the state’s growing homeless population to inadequate state funding of mental health and substance abuse programs. And, he said, people conducting the one-night surveys are getting better at finding unsheltered homeless people.
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