Last year saw record-high numbers for people taking up space in shelters and unsheltered people in Montgomery County, with 771 people being recorded in the annual count.
Point-in-time homeless count
| Type | 2019 | 2020 | 2021* | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People in Shelter | 528 | 593 | 463 | 531 | 664 | 595 |
| Unsheltered Persons | 49 | 49 | NA | 39 | 107 | 92 |
| TOTAL | 577 | 642 | 463 | 570 | 771 | 687 |
Source: Montgomery County
*federal waiver in 2021, no unsheltered count due to COVID-19
Homeless solutions program coordinator Kathleen Shanahan said the local population of people experiencing homelessness is largely single adults, particularly single adult men. Families with children make up 9% of the population experiencing homelessness, too.
Compared to the early 2020 pre-pandemic PIT Count total, there was a 7% overall increase in the number of people and a less than 1% increase of those in shelters.
But the number of people sleeping unsheltered increased by nearly 88% from the 2020 total.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a count of sheltered and unsheltered people to take place during the last 10 days of January each year.
A collection of six teams went out into the community on Jan. 23, working overnight to count people who were living in unsheltered settings, like abandoned or vacant properties, cars, wooded areas, park benches and underpasses.
People conducting the local count also went to meal and service sites to ask people if they were spending their nights in an unsheltered situation.
For the sheltered count, people included were those sleeping in an emergency shelter such as Daybreak, Gettysburg Shelter for Men, Holt Street, St. Vincent de Paul Shelter for Women & Families and the YWCA Dayton Domestic Violence Shelter.
Shanahan said the PIT Count also creates a space to better connect or refer people to housing services. PIT counters leave behind or pass along cards with information about local resources as they progress through the night.
The average length of time people experienced homelessness is 69 days, according to Montgomery County officials.
Shanahan said the rising cost of housing and other necessities, as well as a drop in vacant rental units, continues to put people in difficult situations.
Significant funding to address homelessness and housing instability was announced by Montgomery County’s Homeless Solutions Policy Board (HSPB) last week.
The HOME-American Rescue Plan will provide $7.8 million in funding allocated to the city of Dayton and to Montgomery County for development of affordable rental housing, rental subsidies and additional services including outreach, diversion and housing navigation.
“Behind every statistic is a person in need of support and resources,” said Montgomery County Commission president Debbie Lieberman. “We must remain vigilant in addressing homelessness comprehensively, ensuring that no one is left behind or forgotten.”
Shanahan said that the prevalence of homelessness is not an issue “that can be built out of,” but having an availability of more units of affordable housing and partnerships with local landlords is a step forward.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” she said.
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