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Reducing Chronic Homelessness, and More from CRS

12.11.15 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

The number of chronically homeless persons in the U.S. dropped from more than 120,000 in 2008 to around 84,000 in 2014, a new report from the Congressional Research Service notes. The federal government has undertaken to end chronic homelessness by 2017.

“One of the reasons that federal programs have devoted resources to ending chronic homelessness is studies finding that individuals who experience it, particularly those with serious mental illness, use many expensive services often paid through public sources, including emergency room visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and law enforcement and jail time,” the CRS report said. “Even emergency shelter resources can be costly. In addition to potential ethical reasons for ending chronic homelessness, doing so could reduce costs in providing assistance to this population.”

See Chronic Homelessness: Background, Research, and Outcomes, December 8, 2015.

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following.

Genetically Engineered Salmon, updated December 8, 2015

Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act, updated December 9, 2015

Potential Policy Implications of the House Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 3762), December 9, 2015

Provisions of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3762, December 9, 2015

Unemployment Insurance: Programs and Benefits, updated December 9, 2015

Crime Victims’ Rights Act: A Summary and Legal Analysis of 18 U.S.C. 3771, updated December 9, 2015

Crime Victims’ Rights Act: A Sketch of 18 U.S.C. 3771, December 9, 2015

Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments, updated December 10, 2015

Immigration: Noncitizen Eligibility for Needs-Based Housing Programs, updated December 8, 2015

The Islamic State and U.S. Policy, updated December 8, 2015