Number of homeless people drops for third straight year

The number of homeless people in the U.S. has declined for a third straight year.

And while the homeless population is down in Florida, it's up in the Metro Orlando area.

That's according to a new government survey. The Obama administration says the drop is due in part to more people getting government vouchers that help pay housing costs.

The study by the Housing and Urban Development Department counted people at a given point in time last January.

The survey says more than 610,000 people were homeless last year. That was down from more than 630,000 the previous year a 4 percent drop.

In Florida, there are 47,862 homeless people, according to HUD. That's down from 55,170 last year.

The number of homeless military veterans was under 58,000, down 8 percent from the previous year. The number of chronically homeless people declined 7 percent, to about 93,000.

In Florida, the numbers are also down from last year for homeless families, homeless vets, and those considered chronically homeless.

Since 2010, the number of homeless people has dropped 6 percent.