The number of Americans who are homeless has increased for the first time in seven years, according to a new annual report issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Community Planning and Development. The study estimates that 553,742 Americans are homeless, a 1 percent increase over last year's figure. The number of individual homeless people rose by 4 percent, while the number of homeless families with children declined by 5 percent, according to the department. The number of homeless veterans increased by 2 percent. The overall homeless population rose for the first time since 2009-2010. The homeless count in Sarasota and Manatee counties declined by 1.4 percent between 2016 and 2017.