An estimated 1,089 people experienced homelessness in Vermont, nearly a third of them in Chittenden County, during a one-day count in January.
That's a nearly 16% decrease in the estimate of people experiencing homelessness over last year. But the estimate also found a troubling reversal in what had been a yearslong decline in chronic homelessness.
On Jan. 23, 2019, people fanned out across Vermont in an effort to get a sense of how many people are experiencing homelessness.
The "point-in-time count" offers only a rough snapshot of homelessness in the state 鈥� it can't capture those who are in transitional housing, and it doesn't count people temporarily staying with family or friends 鈥� but it does give a glimpse of what services are available, what programs might be working and where the state and counties could better concentrate their resources.
Margaret Bozik, co-chair of the, tells Vermont Edition about the count results in , larger trends, some success combating homelessness among veterans and families and explanations behind the 24% uptick in chronic homelessness.
Broadcast live on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
