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Riverside County Sees Steep Rise in Veterans Who Are Homeless

According to the count, the number of people who are homeless in Riverside County is up 12% from last year.

Greg Rodriguez works on housing and homelessness for the county.

He says the data shows sharp rises in homelessness among certain sub-populations.

“Our veterans increased about 31%, our households with children was about 12% increase. And in our seniors 62 and up there was a 6% increase," said Rodriguez.

He says many of the veterans they surveyed were hesitant to go through Veterans Affairs to get services.

Rodriguez says, the good news is the percentage of homeless people dropped by three percent this year compared to last.