Each year, Allegheny County participates in a national census, required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. The Point-in-Time count enumerates people experiencing homelessness in the County who are sheltered (residing in emergency shelters), unsheltered (residing in places not meant for human habitation) or participating in a short-term, supportive housing program (transitional and safe haven).
While the Point-in-Time count allows for annual comparisons, DHS also maintains a real-time dashboard that tracks the daily number of people in emergency shelters and a weekly count of people known to be experiencing unsheltered homelessness based on their engagement with street outreach teams.
What are the key takeaways from the 2024 count?
- On January 30, 2024, in Allegheny County, 1,026 individuals were staying in emergency shelters or experiencing unsheltered homelessness (compared to 913 in 2023).
- 857 were staying in emergency shelters (84% of overall count)
- 169 were unsheltered (16% of overall count)
- An increase in the number of individuals staying in emergency shelter (+99) is largely responsible for the increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the 2024 count.
- The number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness increased (+14) since 2023, but the percent increase of 8% is smaller than the year-over-year increases in 2022 and 2023, which were 62% and 48%, respectively.
- Adult-only households differ from adult-child households both demographically and in how they access and use shelter, which is why we look at these populations separately in this year’s brief.
- Among individuals in adult-only households (n=702):
- The majority (76%) were staying in shelters.
- Men were overrepresented in both sheltered (64%) and unsheltered (66%) locations.
- White adults were more likely to be unsheltered (57%) than adults of other races, but Black adults were overrepresented in shelters and in unsheltered locations, as Black individuals make up only 14% of the County’s population.
- The unsheltered adult population skewed slightly younger than those who were in shelter; a third of sheltered adults were 55+ (vs. 13% of those unsheltered).
- Veterans made up a small percentage of both the sheltered (7%) and unsheltered (5%) populations.
- There were 30 adult survivors of domestic violence in shelter (6%); in surveys, an additional three unsheltered individuals mentioned intimate partner violence as a factor leading to their homelessness.
- Among the 324 individuals in adult-child households, all of whom were staying in shelter:
- Women/girls were overrepresented (61%), skewed by female-headed households.
- Black individuals were significantly overrepresented, at nearly 70% of those in family shelters.
- There were 93 unique households and they tended to be younger families; most adults were under 45 and 60% of the family shelter population was under 18.
- Almost a quarter of adults staying in family shelter were survivors of intimate partner violence.
How are these reports used?
The data collected during the yearly Point-in-time is submitted to HUD, to create a yearly homelessness assessment report presented to congress. For more information, visit the HUD website on the Point-in-Time Count, linked here.
Allegheny County uses the yearly data as a component of its work to understand trends and needs, informing the County’s strategies to reduce homelessness and better serve those experiencing it.