While the number of homeless people declined in Connecticut this year compared to 2015, New London County experienced a modest year-to-year increase, according to figures released this week.

The annual count of the homeless found 3,902 people in shelters, living outdoors or in cars across the state on Jan. 26, a 4 percent decrease from the 4,038 homeless people counted in 2015, according to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. The decrease continues a downward trend since 2007, when the number of homeless was about 13 percent higher.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the decrease shows that state initiatives to provide supportive housing, housing for homeless veterans and other populations is showing results.

“We’ve set high goals, and these statistics demonstrate that we are moving in the right direction,” he said. “Housing is the key to economic development, and by building partnerships between state, municipalities and community nonprofit organizations, we’re tackling an issue that is critical to our future.”

In New London County, 288 homeless people were found in the 2016 count, 6 percent higher than the 2015 total of 270 people, the coalition reported. The 2016 number is down from 2014, however, when 329 homeless people were counted in the region.

Cathy Zall, executive director of the Homeless Hospitality Center of New London, said the shelter has made progress in reducing the numbers of long-term homeless people, and the waiting list for the 40 shelter beds has also shrunk. Fewer homeless are living outdoors, she added. The hospitality center provides shelter for homeless adults, while Covenant Shelter, also in New London, provides shelter for up to seven families with children and also houses a smaller number of single adults.

“More than half of the people at the shelter now are staying less than 10 days,” Zall said. “The state numbers are very good news, but it doesn’t mean the job is done. The governor justifiably takes pride in the investments he’s made in housing.”

Zall said shelter staff have been focusing over the last few years on “rapid rehousing” of people who come to the shelter, and that approach seems to be working.

“We recognize that the solution to homelessness is not the shelter,” she said. “We try to make sure the shelter is available, but to really transition people to housing quickly.”

The overall statewide trend, she said, shows that sticking with programs that work produces gradual improvement.

“We’re getting results by doing what works,” she said. “It’s kind of exciting.”

One of the biggest successes has been in reducing the numbers of homeless veterans. In February, the federal government confirmed that Connecticut was the second state in the country to functionally end homelessness by housing all long-term homeless veterans and obtaining housing for newly homeless veterans. In the Jan. 26 count, 45 veterans were found in emergency shelters, less than half the number found in 2015, the coalition said.

One area that has not seen significant progress is in the numbers of homeless families in the state. There were 449 homeless families with 1,332 individuals statewide in the 2016 count, which is seven fewer families but 13 more individuals than in 2015.

In New London County, there were 130 homeless families in the 2016 count, which included 84 children and 46 adults.

At Covenant Shelter, there are currently 32 homeless people occupying the 38 available beds, most of them part of families, said Phyllis Cappuccio, interim executive director. She has also seen a recent influx of people ages 60 to 65 with disabilities.

“We are pretty full most of the time,” she said. “We try to divert people into housing as much as we can, and use the shelter as a last resort.”

Homeless families are staying at the shelter an average of 60 days, she said, because of the difficulty of finding housing for them.

“Affordability is the problem more than anything else.” she said. “Right now, we have a family with five children.”

According to the coalition report, there are 145 shelter beds in New London County, including 69 beds for families and 76 beds for single adults.

j.benson@theday.com

More information:

The report on the 2016 annual count of homelessness can be found at:

http://cceh.org/2016-count-finds-homelessness-continues-to-decline-across-connecticut/