More than 3,500 people in Puerto Rico are homeless, according to the secretary of the Department of the Family, Glorimar Andújar Matos.
Andujar Matos said at a press conference that this number includes people receiving social assistance in shelters, accompanied by Secretary of Health, Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, and Housing, Fernando Gil Enseñat.
“The information gathered from this effort is fundamental to understanding the changes and profiles of the homeless, which will allow us to properly plan the programs and services aimed at this population,” said Andújar Matos.
The Homeless Count 2017 was held between 25 and 26 of last January thanks to the collaboration of seven hundred volunteers around Puerto Rico.
The Housing Secretary said the study was conducted as part of the requirements of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which states that each US jurisdiction must conduct a person count Homeless at least every 2 years.
The federal Urban Development and Housing departments promote the Continuing Care Program (CoC), which provides funding for the development and planning of transitional and permanent housing projects for homeless people with support services in an area Geographical area.
The study found that there are fewer homeless people than in 2015, when the figure stood at 4,518.
The study also revealed that 20% of the young people between the ages of 18 and 24 had been under the care of the state or in prisons and treatment centers (31.3%).
Of the total number of homeless persons, 76% were men and 24% were women.
The reasons that led these people to lack of home are, mainly, the consumption of drugs, familiar problems and problems of a financial nature.
