Topeka leaders say the local homeless situation is spiraling

Volunteers counted 365 unsheltered people last year in Topeka during the annual Point in Time Homeless Count. Meanwhile, one chronically homeless person costs taxpayers an average of more than $35,000 a year, says the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Multiply those and the total is $12.78 million. Compare that to the roughly $76,000 Topeka’s city government is considering paying a consultant to help the city better deal with homelessness and “that $76,000 is a pretty small number,” said city manager Stephen Wade.
Source: CJonline