First homeless count in 3 years short of volunteers

Austin nonprofit Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, or ECHO, is preparing for the area's first count of the local homeless population in three years.

Why it matters: The results of the annual count will show whether city strategies to create more shelter space and build housing units are making a dent in the Austin homeless population, which has climbed with the city's overall population growth.

• The count, which is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, helps determine how much federal funding the county receives for housing-related programs. It also informs local strategic planning to address homelessness.

Yes, but: ECHO is roughly 400 volunteers short of its 1,000-person goal.

• It's doable but not ideal, a spokesperson for the group told Axios.
• The point-in-time count requires volunteers to travel on foot overnight to find people sleeping in tents, cars and other places not meant for human habitation.
• It's a tough job that requires volunteers to wake people up in the middle of the night to collect information about their age, gender, race and other information.

The big picture: The pandemic and a volunteer shortage canceled previous counts of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness.

• The count also comes as Austin leaders struggle to create more housing options amid new rules that ban people from camping in public spaces.

By the numbers: A rough estimate from ECHO found that at least 4,611 people were without a home in Travis County on a single day in October 2022 — tallied using the number of requests for housing and medical services.

• The group also estimates that the number of people without housing has grown 7.4% in Travis County since 2019, but the point-in-time count will provide a more accurate reflection of the change.

• The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Travis County's total population has increased 10.5% during that time.

Reality check: ECHO and other advocacy groups agree the survey is an imperfect tool, largely believed to undercount the number of people experiencing homelessness.

• For example, if someone stayed on a friend's couch the night of the count, they wouldn't be counted, even if they otherwise are unsheltered.
• If a person finds an abandoned house or other places to shelter, they won't be tallied.
• If someone leaves their encampment before dawn, counters have no way of locating them.

How to volunteer: Volunteers should be comfortable walking several miles on their shift, complete a 2-hour mandatory training and expect to spend roughly five hours volunteering on the night of the count.

• Find more information on ECHO's website, and sign up here.