Study: Homelessness Down In Minnesota For 1st Time In A Decade

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new study says homelessness across Minnesota is down for the first time since 2006.

According to statistics gathered by Wilder Research, there are 9,312 homeless adults, youth and children in Minnesota -- a drop of about 9 percent from the last statistics gathered in 2012. That number has been steadily increasing since 1991, according to data provided by the research group.

Despite the recent drop, those numbers are still up 17 percent from data gathered by the research group in 2007.

The numbers come as a stark contrast to a report from Hennepin County last month, which showed an increase in those seeking shelter in homelessness centers across Minneapolis, despite a major effort from the city and county that aimed to eliminate homelessness in the county by 2016. That study, from the Office to End Homelessness, counted 3,125 homeless people in Hennepin County alone.

Of the 9,312 people the study counted, 3,296 were children with their parents, down 7 percent since 2012. The numbers also showed a 45 percent increase of homeless, unaccompanied minors (aged 17 and younger) from 146 in 2012 to 213 in 2015.