The Washington area will soon see whether its homeless population has continued to decrease, despite economic hardship. Wednesday night, the District and the nine counties in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments counted and collected data about their homeless populations. Last year’s count totaled 11,774, down slightly from 2009. The number has been dropping since 2006. Results won’t be available until spring, but immediate staff reactions will be posted on COG’s Facebook page. Data will show total numbers as well as a breakdown of the number of homeless veterans and persons with physical disabilities or mental illness. – Caitlin Byrnes