Homelessness surges in the Bush economy: The nationwide count most often cited comes from the Urban Institute, a research group in Washington that surveyed homeless assistance providers in 1996. It found that at least 1.4 million children and 2 million adults were homeless, but that number has surely grown as cities like Columbus, Ohio; Philadelphia; St. Louis; and New York have all reported surges at their homeless shelters for the last two or three years..."In places where good data is kept, it is clear that the numbers of homeless families are increasing," said Phil Mangano, executive director of the White House Interagency Council on Homelessness, the federal agency that coordinates government programs related to the homeless. ...Homeless families are traditionally difficult to count, but in 2001 Congress ordered the Department of Housing and Urban Development to try. While the agency does not expect to have a nationwide count until 2007, for now it relies on data from 10 cities and states, including Minnesota, St. Louis, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Among this group only one city, Spokane, Wash., had not experienced an increase in the number of families seeking shelter since 2000.Other cities not on HUD's list are also reporting increased family homelessness, including Charlotte, N.C.; Bridgeport, Conn.; and Denver.