Homeless count declines by 299

Fewer people are homeless in Palm Beach County, according to an annual count released Monday.

A “point-in-time count” conducted on Jan. 25-26 identified 1,308 homeless individuals and families — down from 1,607 the previous year.

The count included those living in emergency shelters, transitional housing and on the streets. Outreach teams scoured woods, parks, alleys and other places homeless people frequent.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities receiving homeless assistance grants to count sheltered and unsheltered homeless people on a single night in January. The results of this “point-intime” count are used to track the effectiveness of programs and guide policymakers.

County officials attributed the decline to better coordination of services and the shifting of money into rapidrehousing, which offers short-term rental assistance.

While chronic and youth homelessness declined, the number of homeless veterans jumped by 73 percent. The number of homeless families increased by 5 percent.

The county adopted a “10-year plan to end homelessness” in 2008. Officials are in the process of updating that plan.