Where Veteran Homelessness Is Rising And Falling

Despite the end of the Iraq war and efforts to enable the Afghan military to take over their country's security, the sight of a homeless U.S. veteran struggling to keep warm in a doorway will sadly remain common in major American cities this winter. Over the past couple of years, the U.S. has made progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans. After a slight rise last year, the homeless population declined 5.4 percent over the past 12 months. There are currently about 38,000 homeless vets across the country, about half the amount counted in 2010.

Some states have had more success eliminating the problem than others, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data. While Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia have effectively ended it, solutions are harder to come by in states with high property prices such as California. The following infographic shows where the homeless veteran population has increases and decreases at state level over the past year. Nevada has seen the number of vets sleeping rough fall by almost 88 percent but Mississippi has experienced a 79 percent increase.