Dallas, Collin counties' homelessness declining

Overall homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties has been declining for five years after reaching a high of 4,538 people tallied in 2019, per newly released data.

Driving the news: Housing Forward, which oversees disbursement of federal homeless response funds, released the results of the annual homelessness census Thursday.

• The federally required count was conducted in January.

Why it matters: The decline is a result of a more coordinated long-term approach and a successful rapid rehousing program that launched in 2021.

The big picture: Housing Forward has received increased funding for its homelessness response work in Dallas and Collin counties, including $22 million in annual funding this year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a 20% increase over last year.

Details: Housing Forward CEO Joli Angel Robinson said the organization is looking at "permanent rather than temporary solutions" to moving people off the streets into housing and keeping them there.

• The organization plans to expand its temporary rapid rehousing program, which was largely funded by pandemic aid, after receiving a three-year $22.8 million federal grant this year to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
• The rehousing program has a new goal of housing 6,000 individuals and families by 2025. The effort started with a goal to house 2,700 people by October this year.

By the numbers: 4,244 unhoused people were counted on Jan. 26.

• Of those, 1,184 were unsheltered, which is the lowest number of people counted on the street during a census since 2017, when there were 1,087.
• Chronic homelessness also declined, down to 691 people who have been homeless for longer than a year or have experienced homelessness several times in three years. Last year, 1,009 chronically homeless individuals were counted.

Yes, but: Veteran and family homelessness, which had been declining, increased this year.

What's next: The in-depth report with the census data will be released May 1.