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Statement by Press Secretary Dana Perino
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary October 20, 2008

Statement by Press Secretary Dana Perino

ÿÿWhite House News


Today, the Interagency Council on Homelessness conducted its final meeting
under this Administration. President Bush appreciates the work of Council
Director Philip Mangano and the members of his Cabinet who invested the
time and energy to make its work a success.

Back in 2002, the Bush Administration revitalized the battle against
chronic homelessness by regularly bringing together Cabinet Secretaries and
other top officials from 20 Federal agencies in a position to help
Americans living on the streets. This effort increased Federal resources by
60 percent, created national partnerships with mayors, county executives,
governors, and the private sector, and encouraged results-oriented
solutions.

And results are what we got.

Thanks to comprehensive new data from the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, we know that over the latest three years the number of
chronically homeless individuals in the U.S. tumbled 30 percent -- from
175,914 to 123,833. And the number of homeless persons of all sorts fell
from 763,010 to 671,888.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness executive director Philip Mangano
notes that this is "the largest documented decrease in homelessness in our
nation's history." All Americans want to see the numbers of chronically
homeless continue to decline, and the policies we have implemented should
help in that regard for many years.

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