Minnesota Sees 9% Drop in Homelessness

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Wilder Foundation says the number of homeless people in Minnesota has dropped.

The nonprofit organization on Monday released its one-night survey of homeless people taken every three years.

The latest count found about 9,300 people who were homeless in Minnesota during the one-night count last fall. That's down 9 percent from a peak of about 10,000 in 2012 — the first sharp drop since the Wilder Foundation began the survey more than 20 years ago.

The Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/1P8HYBw) reports the drop was greater in the Twin Cities than in the rest of Minnesota.

The survey found just over one-third of those counted last fall are children with parents.

Study co-director Michelle Gerrard says the results suggest Minnesota's efforts to reduce homelessness are paying off.