Continuum of Care: Milwaukee's unofficial homeless count at 162

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee's Continuum of Care homeless count is helping local leaders get a better view of the issue in the city.

Volunteers were out across the city Wednesday night counting the number of people in shelters or living on the street.

We're told 162 people were counted last night. That's a slight decrease from 165 in January of 2019.

Experts say it shows a positive trend.

"Our main goal is to try to count as many folks tonight who may be experiencing homelessness both on the streets and more in the warming rooms," said Eric Collins-Dyke of Milwaukee County Housing Division. "It's really important that we have a comprehensive outreach tonight to count as many people as possible."

Milwaukee County has seen a 77-percent drop in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the past decade.