Chronic homelessness in Austin and Travis County this year rose by about 5 percent from the total in 2017, according to an annual count released Thursday.
The point-in-time count, which is a requirement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities receiving HUD funds, found a total of 2,147 people experiencing homelessness. During the same period in 2017, the count tallied 2,036 people.
The census shows that downtown Austin has 393 homeless residents, the highest number in any part of the city. District 3, which includes parts of East, Southeast and South Austin, has the second-highest homeless population and the highest increase compared with last year. In 2017, the census counted 101 homeless residents in that area. Now, the census reports 212.
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In January, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition recruited 550 volunteers to count homeless residents sleeping in cars, tents, parks, under bridges and on the streets. People sleeping in shelters and transitional housing programs were counted on the same night by a homeless management information system.
Despite recent campaigns aimed at tackling homeless youths, the point-in-time count recorded 93 unaccompanied youth compared with 86 counted in 2017. Preventing and ending youth homelessness has been a priority for Austin during recent years.
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo has asked that Mayor Steve Adler and council members Ann Kitchen and Sabino “Pio” Renteria sponsor a resolution to endorse an action plan aimed at ending homelessness.
“The plan is a rallying point for government, business, and philanthropy to join forces to end homelessness in this community,” Tovo said in a statement.
Other Texas cities also saw increases in their point-in-time counts including Fort Worth and Dallas. Last year’s annual count showed a 28 percent drop in the city and county’s chronic homeless population compared with 2016.
“The increase in homelessness confirms what I saw when I participated in the point in time count: Homelessness is up in Austin. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to ending homelessness in Austin,” Mayor Adler said in a statement. “This 5 percent increase underscores the need for Austin to create dedicated revenue sources for housing and support services to get those experiencing homelessness into homes and to help them succeed.”