2022 Point-in-Time Count Results

The Point in Time (PIT) count is an annual HUD-mandated survey of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This survey is conducted throughout the state and the country. The PIT Count helps us understand how homelessness changes over time across numerous variables such as economic conditions, societal factors, and policy advancement. It also gives us an opportunity to spread awareness, engage and build relationships with our unhoused neighbors. 

Before we get into the results, we want to give a huge thank you to all of our PIT leads for the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care (TX BoS CoC) and volunteers who gathered data for the 2022 Point in Time count. We had 450+ volunteers this year. This would not have been possible without all of your hard work, and we are grateful for your commitment towards ending homelessness in Texas!

Considerations to keep in mind for 2022: 

It is important to note that the Coronavirus had a significant impact on the results of this year’s PIT count, as well as the way we go about gathering data. The Coronavirus created hesitancy to seek out services and respond to the survey amongst people experiencing homelessness. The virus also made it more difficult to recruit volunteers to gather data. The 2022 Point in Time count occurred during a major surge of the Omicron Coronavirus variant. Because of the Omicron Variant, the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care had two separate PIT dates: one in January, and one in February. This is particularly unusual, but considering the circumstances of the pandemic, it was a necessary decision for the safety of both our volunteers and people experiencing homelessness. Even though we had two separate PIT dates this year, we were able to return to gathering data for both sheltered and unsheltered individuals for the first time since 2020. Even so, we recommend that comparisons between previous years be made strategically and sparingly, as we covered in our 2022 How to Read your PIT Data Webinar. 

In 2022, we gathered data from 55 of the 215 counties within the Texas Balance of State Continuum of Care. This equates to about 74% of the population of Texas BoS CoC. The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires us to submit data for the entire geography of our CoC. Because of this, we use an extrapolation process to account for the counties that did not participate in the count. Even with extrapolation, it is important to remember that the PIT Count should be viewed as the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness within our geography due to limitations associated with the count methodology. With all of that being said, let’s get into the results from the 2022 PIT count. 

Results:

The Texas BoS CoC counted 7,054 individuals experiencing homelessness for the 2022 PIT Count. Roughly half were sheltered, and half were unsheltered. We counted 2845 people in Emergency Shelters, 654 people in Transitional Housing, and 3555 Unsheltered people.

Age Breakdown: 

We Counted…

• • 5,392 adults over the age of 25
    • 97% were adults without children
  • 1,108 children between the ages of 0-17
    • 32 were unaccompanied on the night of the count, meaning they were without parents or guardians
  • 554 youth between the ages of 18-24
    • Of those youth respondents, 80% were unaccompanied on the night of the count

Demographics:

We Found…

• • 40% of respondents were Hispanic or Latinx 
    • This is consistent with the percentage of Hispanic and Latinx people within our CoC according to the US census
  • 22% of people experiencing homelessness within our geography were Black or African American, despite only making up 8% of our geography’s total population according to the US census
  • 61% of people identifying as Male
  • 38% of people identifying as Female
  • 29 people identifying as a gender other than singularly Female or Male
  • 21 people identifying as Transgender

Subpopulations:

Of those who were asked the subpopulation-specific questions…

• • 8% were veterans experiencing homelessness 
  • 15% were survivors of domestic violence 
  • 19% were chronically homeless 
  • 1,245 people have been told or believe they have a serious mental illness 

Below this blog post is our official 2022 PIT Count Infographic for the Texas Balance of State CoC. If you would like, you can download this infographic, share it with your teams, and implement it within your presentations as a visual aid. If you have any questions regarding the infographic or the 2022 Point in Time Count results, please contact me at ava@thn.org