RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s capital city recorded a 10% increase in its homeless population during a winter survey.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch cites a regional survey that shows the number of people in Richmond sleeping in shelters or outside grew from 497 people in January 2019 to 549 last month. The newspaper says it’s the first such increase since 2011.
A regional homeless service provider said the increase is likely attributed to a change in the way the issue is being addressed, as agencies have recently switched to targeting those who have been outside longest. Still, the preliminary data shows the numbers are a little under half of what was recorded a decade ago.
