Homelessness drops for third straight year in DC, city officials say

The number of homeless people counted on the streets and in the shelters of the nation’s capital has dropped for the third straight year, D.C. officials announced Wednesday.

There were 6,521 homeless people in the District, a 5.5 percent decline from last year, according to the annual count performed by the city. The trend was driven by a 15.6 percent reduction in family homelessness, while the number of homeless, single adults increased by 2.8 percent.

The results were welcomed by the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), whose prom­ises to reduce homelessness — especially among families and children — were a core part of her first mayoral campaign. Since 2015, Bowser’s first year in office, family homelessness has dropped by nearly 24 percent, while overall homelessness has fallen by nearly 12 percent.