Study: Homeless families a concern

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Families accounted for one-third of 704,000 people who sought emergency shelter between February and April 2005, U.S. officials said.

The finding was included in a report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Today reported.

The study did not focus directly on homelessness, but its count of those seeking shelter helped HUD officials recognize the needs of disadvantaged U.S. residents.

"This first-of-its-kind study is a huge leap forward in our understanding of not only how many people are homeless, but also what their needs are," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said.

Based on a sample of 80 U.S. communities, the study found that nearly one-quarter of those who sought emergency housing were disabled and nearly half were black.

Since the survey was directed at emergency services, the actual number of homeless individuals in the United States likely surpassed 704,000, the newspaper said.