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Report: Child homelessness, poverty drop in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A recently released report on Indiana youth shows homelessness and poverty have dropped statewide, but other problems persist, including rising infant mortality rates.

The Indiana Youth Institute’s annual report says nearly 21 percent of children younger than 18 lived in poverty in 2015, a slight improvement from nearly 22 percent in 2014.

The number of public school students identified as homeless or housing unstable dropped from more than 17,400 to more than 16,100 from academic years 2015 and 2016.

The state has an infant mortality rate of 7.3 per 1,000, which exceeds the national average of 5.9 per 1,000. The report says more than 600 children died in Indiana before their first birthday in 2015.

The rate of child abuse and neglect has been rising steadily in Indiana since 2011.

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