Homeless Population Rises 2 Percent In D.C. Area
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new survey says there are nearly 12,000 homeless people in the Washington area, a 2 percent increase from the previous year.
Data released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments shows there are 11,988 homeless people in the area, up from 11,774 last year. Nearly a third of the homeless people were children.
Michael Ferrell, executive director of the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless, says the region's economy is partly to blame for the increase.
Prince William County saw the greatest percentage increase in the number of homeless people at 38 percent.
The annual survey was taken this year in late January.
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