On April 2, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) published its fifth annual report on homelessness trends and counts, The State of Homelessness in America 2015, using data collected through HUD’s Continuum of Care grantees in January 2014. As NAEH notes, the data is not perfect, especially since counting the number of unsheltered persons was not mandatory in 2014. Overall, NAEH reports that nationwide homelessness decreased by 2.3%, including a 2.7% decrease in families. However, there are large variations among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. In Massachusetts, the number of homeless persons (individuals and in families) rose by 11.6% compared to January 2013 – from 19,029 to 21,237 – due almost entirely to increases in the number of homeless families in Massachusetts (4,781 - up 10.5% from 2013) and the number of persons in homeless families (14,449 - up 17.1%). The number of chronically homeless individuals remained almost unchanged. The number of persons in Massachusetts categorized as at risk of homelessness also rose between 2012 and 2013. While the number of poor renter households paying more their half their income towards housing fell by 8% (declining by about 10,500 households to just over 118,000), the number of people in poor households who were doubled up rose by 29.5% (to 109,556 persons - up almost 35,000).
