The Coalition for the Homeless, as lead agency to The Way Home, conducted the annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count & Survey on January 23 of this year on behalf of The Way Home. This year’s results show a continued six-year trend in reducing homelessness, marking a 60% cumulative reduction since 2011. Data from the survey is used by The Way Home to gauge the progress and effectiveness of the local homeless response system.
In previous years, the Homeless Count & Survey encompassed Houston, Pasadena, Harris County, and Fort Bend County. In July 2016, Conroe and Montgomery County joined The Way Home, and the 2017 Count & Survey was conducted in that region for the first time this January.
“The Way Home partners have been focused on permanent housing with supportive services as the key to solving homelessness, and the 2017 Count results show that this strategy is working,” said Marilyn Brown, President/CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless. “Since the system transformation work of The Way Home began in 2012, we have seen the number of unsheltered, chronically homeless individuals continue to shrink. This shows that our focus on ending chronic homelessness is working. With the support of strong local partners, The Way Home is committed to ending chronic homelessness and continuing down the path to creating a system where no one has to be without permanent housing for more than 30 days.”
