Print edition: 
WICHITA — The number of homeless veterans in Kansas has slowly grown in recent years, according to a new report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
New estimates show that there were 712 homeless vets in Kansas in 2008.
That's up from 689 in 2007 and 601 in 2006.
Nationwide, new estimates show 131,000 veterans were homeless in 2008. Veterans are about twice as likely to be homeless as the general population.
The new figures are based on reports from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and local point-in-time counts of those who are homeless.
About 4 percent of those who sought care from the VA were veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Most are 35 to 54 years old.
"The problems that we've had for 20 years have not been solved," said M William Sermons, director of the Alliance's Homelessness Research Institute.
Many worry that the recession may result in a sharp increase in homelessness among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last week, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a five-year goal of cutting the number of homeless vets using $3.2 billion.
