Durham's 2009 count of homeless people came in 9 percent below that of 2008, according to the Council to End Homelessness in Durham, but at almost the same level as 2007.

The annual count, conducted Jan. 29, found 535 individuals in shelters, on the streets or in makeshift camps. The 2008 count found 590, while that of 2007 found 539.

Of the 2009 total, 502 were lodged in shelters or other temporary housing; 33 were found in camps or on the streets.

The Council to End Homelessness is announcing its figures, and its analysis of them, at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Durham Public Library.

The number of homeless families was down from 38 to 34, and the number of children down from 73 to 62,

Generally crummy as the national economy is, there's still at least one sector of the population yet to feel its pinch.

The homeless.

That, anyway, is the perspective of Stan Holt with the Triangle United Way. Holt, who used to run Durham's Genesis Home for otherwise-homeless families, works with area towns' 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness.

Last fall, the Town Council was supposed to discuss a petition from member Matt Czajkowski asking town-hall staff to examine how other cities and towns across the U.S. are managing panhandling and homelessness. But the council ran out of time at that meeting and rescheduled that discussion for tonight. A memo for the meeting suggested that panhandling was on the decline, but Franklin Street business-people don't necessarily agree. Check back here for a report on tonight's meeting.

Would a student lie about being homeless to get assigned to a particular school or to ride the bus?

Those were some of the questions that popped up during this week's facilities committee meeting. Eddy Adams, senior director for transportation, said there have been cases when students claiming to be homeless demand bus service.

Adams said people have actually seen cases where students are dropped off from a Mercedes and claim to be homeless. He acknowledged it could be a friend of the student who is driving the car.