Due to methodology changes enacted to protect the health and safety of all parties involved in the Count, and because of the unique circumstances created by the Coronavirus, the results of the 2021 Count are not directly comparable to those of years past. 

While direct comparisons to previous years cannot be made, the Homeless Count data and information from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS, administered by the Coalition) can be used to draw reasonable conclusions about the pandemic’s impact on homelessness in the Houston region. For example, the number of sheltered individuals might have been higher if not for factors such as: limited bed availability due to social distancing protocols, and the potential reluctance of those experiencing homelessness to stay in a shelter due to fear of contracting the virus. 

The Homeless Count was also able to shed some initial insights on the impacts of COVID on new episodes of homelessness. On the night of the Count, one in seven people experiencing unsheltered homelessness cited the Coronavirus as the reason for their homelessness, many of them specifically citing job loss or reduction in work hours and/or eviction as the triggering event. 

The ongoing eviction moratorium, even if only a temporary measure, has likely prevented more people in the region from falling into homelessness.

Data also suggest that the unsheltered number may have been higher if not for the innovative Community COVID Housing Program (CCHP), a $65M housing-focused pandemic response that will serve approximately 5,000 people experiencing homelessness by fall 2022. 

“While we don’t yet know the full scope of how many people have fallen — or will fall — into homelessness due to the pandemic, we believe that without the Community COVID Housing Program, the number of people experiencing homelessness in our region on the night of our Count would very likely have been higher,” said Michael Nichols, president and CEO of the Coalition. 

Last year, the Coalition partnered with the City of Houston and Harris County to create the CCHP in order to accelerate the work of the local homeless response system, The Way Home Continuum of Care. Between Oct. 1, 2020, which marked the launch of CCHP, and Jan. 19, 2021, the night of record for the Count, almost 800 people — most of whom were previously unsheltered — were permanently housed.

The City of Houston and Harris County have allocated $39 million and $18 million in federal CARES Act funding to the CCHP, respectively, representing an unprecedented coordinated effort on the part of the City and the County to address homelessness in the region. Because of underlying health conditions and lack of access to facilities, people experiencing homelessness are more susceptible to COVID and, if infected, more likely to experience serious complications or death.

“It appears that we have avoided a surge in homelessness — for now,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “This is of no coincidence, but due to the wise and targeted investment of new sources of funding; our usage of permanent housing as an infectious diseases control response; and the ingenuity and hard work of our homeless response system. Addressing homelessness is a top priority for the city, and we are proud to allocate substantial resources to this innovative program. But the pandemic is not over, and we are not out of the woods yet. Now is not the time to let our guard down. Continued investment in homelessness prevention and response will be necessary to keep a homelessness crisis at bay.”

"The CCHP is the most comprehensive and evidence-based investment in addressing homelessness in our region’s history,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “The early results of the program are a promising sign that we are moving in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean we will rest on our laurels. I recognize that addressing a challenge as complex as homelessness will require sustained effort, and we look forward to continuing our work with all involved.”

The Coalition coordinates the annual Count on behalf of The Way Home. The Count informs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of the effectiveness of collaboration and homeless programs in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. The annual Count cannot provide an exact number of people experiencing homelessness for several reasons, including the daily fluctuating number and the large size (3,700+ square miles) of the area being canvassed. However, it is considered a critical metric and is highly effective at illustrating trends over time. The Count results are combined with additional data points, like the information stored in the HMIS, to gauge progress of the local homeless response system. After the pandemic, the Coalition intends to return to methodologies used in years past in order to be able to draw more direct comparisons and view trends in homelessness over time.

As in past years, the 2021 Count & Survey data was analyzed by the Coalition in consultation with Dr. Cathy Troisi, associate professor, University of Texas School of Public Health. The full Homeless Count & Survey Independent Analysis is available online here and a one-page fact sheet is available here.

For more information and for results of previous years’ counts, please click here.

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