Maine saw a slight dip in the number of people experiencing homelessness earlier this year, according to the latest annual point in time survey from Maine Housing.
The survey, conducted back in January, is meant to provide a snapshot of homelessness on a single night in Maine. The survey counts people living outside and in some form of shelter.
The survey found just over 2,400 people experiencing homelessness across the state. That's about a 10% decrease over the previous year.
"There's a lot more to the story and a lot more happening and a lot more individuals that are not necessarily counted on this particular day in our state of Maine who are homeless," said Dean Klein director of Maine's Continuum of Care.
Klein said the survey likely doesn't account for people who are not connected to social services, or have other informal housing solutions. He said communities across the state have added more warming and overnight shelter capacity.
Klein said the data reflect a 25% decrease in the number of children experiencing homelessness. He attributed the decrease in part to...
"...the collaboration that we saw between the city of Portland, Catholic Charities, Prosperity Maine in housing individuals in shelter and in transitional housing. So they housed over 300 families," Klein said.
