Homeless Count Reveals Hurricane Harvey's Impact

HOUSTON, TX — A census of the homeless population conducted in January revealed that Hurricane Harvey was a contributing factor to the increase in homelessness in Houston, and other surrounding counties.

The Coalition for the Homeless announced results for the Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Survey, as part of a “State of Homelessness” panel discussion at a breakfast event on May 23 at the Junior League in downtown.

The Coalition survey, which took place Jan. 23-25, 2018 on behalf of the local Continuum of Care (CoC), known as The Way Home, recorded the number of homeless individuals in a multi-county area.

According to that census survey, there were more than 4,100 homeless in Houston, with about 18 percent of the unsheltered homeless individuals reporting they became homeless as a result of Hurricane Harvey.

The Way Home CoC, which encompasses Houston, Pasadena, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Montgomery County, provides a snapshot of the state of homelessness in the Houston area on a given night and is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for The Way Home’s federal funding process.

According to Marilyn Brown, President & CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, Hurricane Harvey was a major disrupter to the work of The Way Home both in terms of diverting resources and contributing to the increase in unsheltered homelessness.

In statewide comparisons, Houston had a higher uptick in results but all major cities in Texas showed count increases.

Image: Shutterstock / Srdjan Randjelovi

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