People Experiencing Homelessness: Snapshots
Unsheltered People Experiencing Homelessness
The unsheltered homelessness estimates are one day approximations of the number of people likely to be experiencing unsheltered homelessness each month. This estimate comes from the Coordinated Entry by-name list (BNL) from HMIS at approximately the start of each month. For a more detailed description of the methodology used to estimate one day approximations of unsheltered homelessness in Austin / Travis County, which we use in this dashboard, please refer to the 2021 HMIS Snapshot report.
Because this estimate relies on Coordinated Assessment data, the more access to Coordinated Assessments (CAs), and the more CAs that are completed, the better we are able to estimate the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The launch of the Austin Street Outreach Collaborative (ASOC) in May 2022 brought with it an increased number of street outreach projects and coordinated assessors. The average number of CAs completed from January 2022 through April 2022 was 370, while the average number of CAs completed from May 2022 through September 2022 was 565, an average increase of about 195 CAs each month.
This is important because any apparent rise in the unsheltered population may or may not represent a dramatic increase in the actual number of total people living unsheltered, since it may be due to an increase in our ability to estimate the total number of people who were already living unsheltered considering that we now have more data collected and available through the Coordinated Entry System. Conversely any apparent future decreases could be influenced by changes in the capacity of the system to administer CAs or it could be influenced by fewer of the total people experiencing homelessness at a given time choosing to complete a CA.
As with the information about the new ASOC program above, the text in this section will continue to provide relevant details and updates to assist the community in interpreting the estimate as best as possible.
Estimated Number of People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness
Sheltered People Experiencing Homelessness
The sheltered homelessness estimates are one day approximations of the number of people enrolled in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven projects at approximately the start of each month, as recorded in HMIS.
To see snapshots of homelessness by race and ethnicity, age group, and household type, click on the legend items in the plots. Refresh your browser to return to the full plot or to restart filtering.
Note: These numbers are extracted from HMIS and do not include victim service provider shelters run by agencies like SAFE because these agencies utilize alternative databases in order to preserve the privacy and safety of their clients. The “Capacity” tab of this Dashboard contains self-reported numbers from these agencies that we receive periodically.