Latest news with #PointInTimeCount
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three key takeaways from Nashville's 2025 PIT Count
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every year, volunteers take one night to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in Nashville and the city publishes the results as a Point In Time Count. The 2025 PIT Count took place on the evening of January 23; more than 100 volunteers and 32 organizations helped collect the data. JANUARY | Office of Homeless Services conducts 'Point-in-Time count' Here are three key takeaways from this year's count. That represents an increase of 86 people in all. 'While any increase is cause for reflection, it's important to note that this rise remains well below the national average of an 18% increase in homelessness in 2024,' Metro Office of Homeless Services Director April Calvin said. 'Thanks to the dedication of outreach teams, service providers, and community partners who continue to work tirelessly to connect people with housing, services, and support-we are holding the line.' The count is broken down into two categories: the unsheltered count and the sheltered count. Those in the unsheltered count were people sleeping outdoors, in vehicles or in other places not meant for habitation. People in the sheltered count slept in emergency shelters and transitional housing. Though the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 4.1%, the unsheltered count decreased by 123 people — or 17%. According to the OHS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development adopted the federal definition of a chronically homeless person: a person with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for at least a year or people with a disabling conditions who have had at least four periods of homelessness within the past three years. That means that families can be considered chronically homeless. While this year's PIT Count did not provide insight about the number of families experiencing chronic homelessness specifically, families with children did make up 4% of households within the total count. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → In October 2024, the state approved the use of COVID-19 response pods to be used as transitional housing by the city. However, in March, the plan was in jeopardy due to federal funding cuts. Last month, though, Metro announced plans to distribute pallet shelters for use as temporary housing to community partners. They're meant to offer safe, private spaces for people who cannot easily access group shelters — and could work to reduce the number of people in future unsheltered counts. An additional 22% of those in the unsheltered count were staying on streets or sidewalks while 13% were staying in vehicles. Last September, signs were placed around Nashville's then oldest and largest homeless encampment, 'Old Tent City,' advising those there that they would need a new place to live. Though the city initially delayed demolishing the structures in the encampment, by October, demolitions had started. In March, Metro announced plans to close 'Old Tent City.' By June, the site was closed. It is unclear how many unsheltered people during this year's PIT Count were staying in the encampment. ⏩ 'Each person's experience with homelessness is unique, and there is a lot we can learn from more robust information,' Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said. '…This information is key to developing more cohesive collaboration and comprehensive services for people experiencing homelessness in Nashville.' Notably, the count does not include people staying with friends and family, living in hotels or people staying in institutions like jails or hospitals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Snohomish County's homeless population drops for second straight year
This story was originally published on County leaders revealed the number of unhoused people in Snohomish dropped to just more than 1,100 this year. That's equivalent to a 1.8% decrease compared to last year, and an 11% decrease from 2023. The numbers came from the county's annual point-in-time count. 'The Point in Time Count is important to help us better understand homelessness in our county and the impact of local programs working to reduce homelessness,' Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in a press release. 'While there is still a lot of work to do, it is good news that this year's count is slightly lower than last year, marking a decrease for the second year in a row.' Point-in-time counts have been deemed a controversial method for measuring the amount of homelessness due to the methodology of the process — relying on volunteers to hand-count the number of people they observe living unsheltered on a single night, then calculating a rough estimate of people they believe they might have missed living in abandoned buildings. According to Snohomish County, the latest point-in-time count had 340 volunteers tallying the homeless population. Additional findings were that the number of people who were reportedly chronically homeless (homeless for at least 12 months over the past three years) decreased by 19%, while the number of homeless people in the age groups of 25–34 and 45–54 decreased by an average of 13%, The Everett Herald confirmed with the county. Despite the positive decrease in overall homeless populations across the county, local leaders are worried about losing key federal funding. The federal government awarded Snohomish County $16.7 million in grant funding for homelessness assistance, but only if the county complies with federal executive orders, including those related to immigration status, healthcare, and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Without it, the county estimated that approximately 500 people could lose permanent housing and end up back on the streets. In May, Snohomish County decided to join several other local governments, including both King and Pierce County, across the country in suing the Trump administration.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Area county reports decrease in homelessness over the past year
In the past year, Montgomery County's homeless population has decreased by seven percent, according to the 2025 Point-In-Time Count. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The count reveals the progress that the county has made, and the persistent challenges associated with trying to end homelessness. 'One person sleeping unsheltered is one too many,' said Commission President Judy Dodge. 'Everyone deserves the dignity of a safe, affordable place to live. We remain committed to addressing homelessness with urgency, compassion and strategic action.' TRENDING STORIES: Local nature preserve announces emergency partial closure due to storm damage Runaway pet zebra captured days after 'wreaking havoc' on busy interstate New restaurant to open at former bar and grill location The number of people experiencing homelessness decreased, but the number of people sleeping unsheltered increased from 92 to 111, according to the 2025 Point-In-Time Count. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has communities take a count of unsheltered people during the last 10 days of January, annually. The national total is used to determine housing and shelter funding. National trends show an increase in homelessness in the past year, a trend that has continued since the Covid-19 pandemic. The unsheltered count includes people located in vacant properties, underpasses, woods and parks. The sheltered count includes people staying in area emergency shelters. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Encampments removed in Tacoma were ‘notably larger' in first quarter of 2025
The City of Tacoma removed nearly 80 homeless encampments during the first quarter of the year. While only a slight increase from the previous quarter, city officials said the encampments removed so far this year were 'notably larger.' According to data from Tacoma's Neighborhood and Community Services Department, the city conducted 79 encampment removals during the first quarter of 2025. The city removed 68 encampments during the first quarter of 2024. City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune encampments removed in the first quarter of 2025 were 'notably larger' than in the last quarter of 2024, with several locations having more than 10 tents. Lee said the first quarter of 2025 included approximately four weeks of pauses in removals for certain holidays and the Point In Time Count — a one-night survey of those living homeless. Those pauses might have allowed the camps to grow, she said. The city agreed to not remove encampments for approximately two weeks ahead of the county's annual survey of those living unhoused. The city stated the pause was intended to allow the county to collect more accurate data. In the first quarter of 2025, the city spent $561,112 to remove 488,960 tons of debris from encampments. In the first quarter of 2024, the city spent $585,621 to remove 605,600 tons of debris. According to data from Tacoma's Homeless Engagement and Alternatives Liaison Team, the city records the highest volume of encampment reports during the summer months. In March, Shiloh Baptist Church closed its homeless shelter, which had 40 beds. The city is preparing to lose nearly 400 shelter beds by the end of 2025. Heading into the 2025 legislative session, Tacoma requested roughly $6 million to keep roughly 300 shelter beds operational through 2025. By June the city will lose 339 shelter beds without state funding. Lee told The News Tribune as of the first quarter of 2025, the city has a little over 1,000 shelter beds. With fewer shelter beds available than in previous years, the impact on the number of encampments the community will see is unclear. In October 2022, the Tacoma City Council passed an ordinance that prohibits camping and the storage of personal belongings in a 10-block radius around temporary shelters and all public property within 200 feet of Tacoma's rivers, waterways, creeks, streams and shorelines. Under the ordinance, violators face fines of up to $250 and up to 30 days in jail. To date, the city reports that two citations or fines have been issued since the ordinance was passed. To enforce the policy, the city uses both police and homeless-outreach staff, known as the HEAL team, who make contact with people living in encampments that have been reported to the city. Their job is to get folks living unhoused to accept offers of shelter and services that help them get off the streets. The HEAL team reportedly contacted 519 people in the first quarter of 2025. It contacted 454 people during the first quarter of the previous year. When offered services by the HEAL team, historically only about half of individuals accept those services. That trend continued in the first quarter of 2025, with 54% of individuals expressing interest in the services offered. According to the city, the HEAL team placed 74 people into shelter during the first quarter of 2025, about 14% of those it contacted. In the first quarter of 2024, 61 were placed into shelter by the HEAL team, about 13%.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2025 Point In Time Count volunteers survey homeless individuals around Kern County Wednesday
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Homelessness rose by 37% in 2024, to more than 2,600 homeless individuals in Kern County, according to Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative. The Mission at Kern County serves as the headquarters for the 2025 Point In Time Count. Kern County Board of Supervisors votes to separate voter registrar duties of Auditor-Controller-Clerk's office 'We're mandated by Housing and Urban Development to do this every year, it's a snapshot really, we have four hours to do this survey,' Steve Peterson, Director of Programs at the Mission at Kern County. Volunteers have four hours to go around town and the county to find every homeless person they can and survey them. In an effort to get an accurate number on homelessness in the county. Or as close to an accurate number as possible. 'Every year we get better and better, so I want to say that our count comers fairly close, but I'm sure we're not going to get everybody,' Peterson said. Tracking homeless in the shelters is the easy part. The hard part is counting the ones outside. But they have a plan for that. Never miss a story: Make your homepage 'What we do is we create these teams, there's a four-person team that will go out there, and they'll have a map. And they stay within that area, so we're not just randomly going out there,' Peterson went on to explain. Even then, it's still not enough to track all of them, especially in those rural areas of the county. That's why they'll still have two extra days to track those rural areas and make sure they're counted too. All to make sure the count is as accurate as possible, so that funds to help the homeless get properly allocated. 'They go to supportive services that come along and help people get into housing, or once they get into housing help them stay in housing… our goal is to get them off the streets so they can be in a safe environment. Nobody should have to live out there on the streets,' Peterson said. Hear what one volunteer had to say about her experience volunteering for the annual Point In Time Count in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
