Austin count of homeless people returns this weekend. Here's what we know

In the early hours of Saturday, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition will resume its in-person point-in-time count that seeks to record the number of people experiencing homelessness in Austin. This is the first in-person count in two years.

The last in-person count by the nonprofit — commonly known as ECHO — was conducted in January 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic. In-person counts in 2021 and 2022 were canceled because of the threat of the ongoing pandemic, but alternative methods, such as using numbers from those enrolled in services for homeless people, were used to estimate the local homeless population.

Here's what we know about the state of Austin's homeless population and the plans for the point-in-time count:

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The numbers aren't exact but serve a purpose

Matthew Mollica, ECHO's executive director, said this weekend's count is in no way a complete and accurate tally of how many people are actually experiencing homelessness. Because of the nature of homelessness, finding and counting everyone experiencing it is nearly impossible. However, the count helps give local leaders some idea of trends and how many people might need help, he said.

It is also a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development every other year to determine federal funding under the Continuum of Care program. ECHO is the lead agency for the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care, Mollica said.

As of December, ECHO estimated there were 3,838 people experiencing homelessness in Austin. An additional 818 were considered homeless but living in an area shelter, according to the ECHO dashboard.

That number is up from February 2021, when an estimated 2,258 people were considered unsheltered and 497 were considered homeless but living in a shelter.

Mollica said it is unclear why there was a rise in the estimated number of unsheltered people, but it could be due to an increase in data collectors.

“We have more people doing assessments now, and that means we can reach more people,” Mollica said. “So we don’t know the true answer to that (rise), but it is something we are looking at and open to understanding more.”

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How the count will work

ECHO's point-in-time count is scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. Saturday and be conducted in two waves. About 650 volunteers are signed up to assist, including local public officials, but that is down from the close to 900 volunteers in 2020, Mollica said.

Having fewer volunteers could affect the number of people who are recorded in the count, he said.

“The less people we have collecting data means we might not get to as many folks as we would like, and we just don’t have an idea of how that will affect the point-in-time count," Mollica said.

During the count, volunteers will hand out care kits with toiletries, warm clothes and snacks. The final data won’t be available for several weeks, Mollica said.

Community members can still donate care package items off the group’s Amazon wish list. Mollica said ECHO is still accepting volunteers for the count. More information can be found at https://www.austinecho.org/pit.

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Goals and long-term impact of the count

Mollica said the count's goal is to gather as much information as possible about the local homelessness situation and to share that data with the community.

“We strive to be transparent about what we know and don’t know, and try our best to understand the scope and scale of the need so we can advocate for those resources,” Mollica said.

Advocates for homeless people say the biggest need is more permanent supportive housing, which refers to housing units that are accompanied by a variety of services.

Mollica said ECHO's leaders are excited that several permanent supportive housing projects are slated for completion, including Espero at Rutland in North Austin and the conversion of several hotels into transitional housing by the city of Austin.

Several other projects are in the pipeline. Travis County recently approved a $35 million contract with the nonprofit Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the first contract to be approved as part of its $110 million plan to tackle homelessness. At least 10 other projects are planned, including with the Other Ones Foundation, Foundation Communities, LifeWorks and Family Eldercare.

Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard, who formerly served as ECHO's executive director and plans to assist with the count Saturday, applauded the county's steps to address homelessness.

"The Travis County Commissioners Court understands that our community values protecting and providing opportunities for those who are most vulnerable, including those (who) are unsheltered," Howard said. "Together, all of these housing units will help build the capacity needed to reduce homelessness, making it rare and nonrecurring and reducing the wait time for supportive housing."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin's annual count of homeless people returns this weekend