2021 Homeless Count Results Suggest Housing-Focused Pandemic Response Kept Numbers Down
Caybryn Southern • March 24, 2021
One in seven unsheltered individuals surveyed cited COVID-19 as the reason for their homelessness
Houston, Texas (March 24, 2021) — The Coalition for the Homeless’ 2021 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey found a total of 3,055 individuals experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 19, 2021 — 1,545 people staying in shelter (51%) and 1,510 people living unsheltered (49%) — in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, Texas.
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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The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to provide leadership in the development, advocacy, and coordination of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness. Learn more at www.homelesshouston.org.
The Way Home is the collaborative model to prevent and end homelessness in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties. For more information visit www.thewayhomehouston.org.
For media interviews/inquiries please contact Madison Mann, CKP, at madison@theckpgroup.com.
Houston, Texas (February 24, 2026) – This week, the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is leading the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey (“PIT Count”) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness across Houston and throughout Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. “We may see a slight uptick in the number this year, but we have a plan,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO of CFTH. “With the support of the City of Houston, Harris County, and private funders, we have been piloting new interventions to shorten the length of time people in our region experience homelessness. With adequate funding, we look forward to expanding those interventions to help people regain lives of self-determination.” CFTH coordinates the Houston region’s public-private homeless response system, The Way Home . Through this collaboration, The Way Home partners have successfully housed over 36,000 people since 2012. CFTH will release the results of Houston’s 2026 PIT Count in the summer, following independent verification by an epidemiologist. These findings will provide insight into how factors such as increases in the cost of living and the end of federal pandemic relief funding have impacted homelessness in our region. More information about the 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey The PIT Count offers a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. This year, the “night of record” is Monday, Feb. 23. CFTH determines the number of people staying in shelters on that night by pulling records electronically from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) . The unsheltered count will be conducted on the following days, from Tuesday, Feb. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 26. More than 400 volunteers and staff of local nonprofit service provider partners will canvass the three-county region to survey people living unsheltered, using an app on their mobile devices. Results from the 2026 PIT Count will help gauge the progress of The Way Home’s ongoing collaborative efforts. It will also help CFTH and partner homeless outreach teams understand geographic shifts and target their outreach throughout the year. The PIT Count illuminates specific programmatic gaps and provides additional information needed to allocate resources most efficiently. The PIT Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process. HUD furnishes the majority of funding for programs that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in the region. In 2024, HUD granted more than $71 million to the Houston area.
As lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC), CFTH is working with local governmental entities to advocate on behalf of people experiencing homelessness to ensure their needs are being considered as winter weather affects our region. We will make frequent updates as we receive information. Please check back often for the latest information. Last updated 02/01/2026 at 12:00 p.m.
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
