Calgary's homeless numbers drop

A recent check of Calgary's streets suggests a long-term rise in the number of homeless people in Alberta's biggest city appears to have been stemmed.

The Calgary Homeless Foundation says data from a Jan. 18 survey of the streets, along with information gleaned from social agencies, indicates there were 3,190 people experiencing homelessness.

A similar survey in 2008 turned up 3,601 people without homes, a decline of 11.4 per cent.

The foundation says if a trend dating back to 1992 had continued, there would have been as many as 4,200 homeless people in Calgary by this year.

Tim Richter, the foundation's president and CEO, says in a release that the hard work of front-line agencies, government and donor support over the last decade has turned the tide of homelessness in Calgary.

A full report based on the January homeless count will be available in April.