The annual point-in-time count of people who are homeless showed an 11% increase in people experiencing homelessness in Austin and Travis County in 2020, including more than 1,500 people who were unsheltered.
The point-in-time count of the homeless population took place on Jan. 25, with 886 volunteers fanning out through the city and county to survey people living on the streets, in shelters or transitional housing units.
In total, volunteers counted 1,574 unsheltered people living outside, in tents or in cars, marking a 45% increase in the number of unsheltered homeless people over the 2019 count, which tallied 1,086. Meanwhile the number of people in shelters or transitional housing was 932, a 20% drop from 2019.
The Ending Community Homeless Coalition, which organizes the count and coordinates services for homeless people throughout the county, said despite the increase in the population, the total count per capita in Travis County has held relatively steady since 2011, and is about 0.2% of the county’s population.
The coalition and its community partners housed 2,171 people throughout 2019, up 7% from 2019 and 25% from 2018.
Among other increases in this year’s count was the number of volunteers who participated. The 886 people who volunteered was a 39% increase over the 2019 count. The 2020 count also used for the first time a web-based survey to help gather more accurate data.
“ECHO and our community partners are grateful for the support of all our dedicated volunteers, and we are more resolute than ever about striving toward our goal to end homelessness in Austin/Travis County,” said Matt Mollica, executive director of ECHO. “The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates more than ever that housing is a healthcare intervention and why we need to scale up permanent housing resources to meet current and future needs in our community.”
People who are homeless are particularly at risk of contracting and experiencing serious health complications from the the coronavirus. The Salvation Army’s downtown shelter was closed for several days in April for cleaning after experiencing an outbreak among its residents. Many living on the streets stay in clusters and do not have the resources like soap, water and regular access to bathrooms and showers.
City leaders have leased several hotels as temporary housing facilities where people living on the streets can stay if they have symptoms or test positive for the virus. The city has also placed portable restrooms and hand-washing stations at many homeless camp sites.
The city is working on a long-term strategy to purchase hotels to create bridge housing communities to provide immediate shelter, which could later be converted into long-term housing complexes.
The point-in-time count provides a snapshot of the homeless community on a single night each year. Homelessness advocates say the figures, while important for directing community resources and securing funding to combat homelessness, is not a complete picture of the population. People fall in and out of homelessness each day, so many are missed by the count.
The impacts of the coronavirus also could lead to more challenges in the future.
“ECHO and its partners anticipate a new wave of housing instability and homelessness as a result of the high cost of housing and the economic fallout from the pandemic. Housing is healthcare, and the need to build out more permanent housing resources will not end when the pandemic does,” ECHO said.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for more details.
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