Homelessness nationally is declining but not in Florida. That's the finding of a report out Monday by the Florida Housing Coalition and Florida Realtors Association.
The report finds the state's homeless population – more than 47,000 - is the third-highest in the country.
Andrae Bailey is chief executive officer of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness. He says the report shows low income families are being left out of the recovery.
"The recession hit everyone hard, but the recovery has not hit all sectors of our society equally", Bailey said. "And so you're seeing a great amount of lower income families who are struggling in ways they never struggled before."
The report shows homelessness in Florida remains close to what it was in 2007 after a peak during the recession. Nationally the population is steadily declining.
Bailey says state and local governments need to make homelessness a higher priority.