New Report on Homelessness in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Commerce's Bureau of Supportive Housing has released a new report on the state of homelessness from 2009-2010.  The 2010 Annual Report on Homelessness in Wisconsin is a five-page summary of the data (Graphs!  Bullet Points!) they've collected on the homeless population in the state and their demographics in 2010 and the changes from 2009.

Keep in mind that the Bureau divides the state in three categories:  Milwaukee (4-county area), Other Metro areas (such as Eau Claire, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, LaCrose, Racine, Sheboygan, etc.) and "Balance of State" which covers the rest of the state.

They show that 17,007 people spent a night in an emergency shelter during 2010, which doesn't include people "on the streets" or doubled up with other people.  This also shows that, contrary to popular belief, most of the people who are homeless are not in Milwaukee.

What's interesting is that this shows that efforts to combat chronic homelessness are starting to pay off, with an actual reduction in the number of people who are chronically homeless.   But due to the economy, other types of homeless population such as singles, veterans, and families, have seen an increase, leading to a 4% increase overall.

41% of the homeless population had some type of disability.  It's not shown in the summary, but it's usually mental illness and/or Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA). I think the total number with a disability actually may be undercounted because by definition, people who are chronically homeless have a "disabling condition" but the report shows only 66% having a disability.  I've asked the Bureau of Supportive Housing for a clarification.