Houston Homeless Population Cut by Nearly 40 Percent Since 2011
Communications Admin • May 29, 2014
Coalition for the Homeless Credits Permanent Supportive Housing
HOUSTON, Texas (May 29, 2014) — Houston’s homeless population declined by 37 percent, or 3,187 fewer homeless people, since 2011, according to the Point-In-Time Homeless Count conducted on Jan. 30, 2014 by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County. Marilyn L. Brown, President & CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County, announced the results of the Count earlier today along with Tory Gunsolley, President & CEO of the Houston Housing Authority and Chair of the Steering Committee for the Houston Continuum of Care. Brown credited the 2012 formalization of the Houston/Harris/Fort Bend County Continuum of Care (CoC)
for the outstanding results to date.
“Access to permanent housing gives people the chance to leave homelessness behind. Our Continuum of Care partners’ collaboration to create integrated, community-wide strategies to prevent and end homelessness is the key to our success. But, we still have much heavy lifting in front of us,” said Brown.
This year, on a given night, there were 5,351 total sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in the Houston area compared with 8,538 on a given night identified in the 2011 Count and 6,359 identified in 2013. Of those surveyed in the Count, 2,291 homeless people (43 percent) lived on the streets or in other uninhabitable places compared with 4,418 (52 percent) in 2011.
“Houston is on its way to becoming a national model to end homelessness,” Brown said. “Because there are multiple causes of homelessness, there need to be multiple solutions to end homelessness. The key to success for chronically homeless citizens, who are our most vulnerable population, is providing permanent housing linked with critical services. Permanent Supportive Housing saves lives. I am amazed at the progress made through the collaboration of the many service providers and partners. And, we’re just getting started!”
The federal government requires the annual count as it relates to the funding received at the local level through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Point-in-Time Homeless Count was supported by the University of Texas School of Public Health and the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services. Trained teams of volunteers canvassed Houston, Harris and Fort Bend Counties counting both sheltered and unsheltered people.
When someone experiences homelessness, the right solution is not always a long-term housing program. Sometimes a person needs help replacing an ID, reconnecting with family, finding an affordable shared home or overcoming another immediate barrier. That idea guided CFTH Presents: Building Better Pathways — Creating Faster Routes to Stability . The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) hosted the discussion with leaders who oversee and carry out Rapid Resolutions across The Way Home, the Houston region’s homeless response system.
When most people think about homelessness, they picture someone sleeping outside or staying in a shelter. But homelessness often begins much earlier. A new survey from Rice University's Kinder Institute estimates that more than 140,000 adults across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties experienced temporary homelessness during the past year. Many of these individuals never slept outside. They stayed with friends or family because they had nowhere else to go, paid for motel rooms when they could, slept in their vehicles or found other temporary ways to get by. For those of us working in Houston's homeless response system, the estimate did not come as a surprise. What stands out is the scale. Our 2026 State of Homelessness report found that nearly 36,000 people interacted with The Way Home, Houston's regional homeless response system, during 2025. The Kinder estimate shows a much larger group of households struggling before they ever reach organizations like ours. Those numbers do not compete with one another. They tell the story of different points along the same continuum. By the time someone decides whether to enter a shelter or sleep outside, opportunities to prevent homelessness have often passed. The homeless response system helps people regain stability after they are in a shelter or on the street. Prevention happens months earlier, while people are still trying to hold on to their housing. Most people do not ask for help at the first sign of trouble. They work extra hours. They borrow money from family. They juggle bills. They hope next month's paycheck will solve this month's problem. Like most of us would, they try to solve the problem themselves. By the time they reach out, they often need far more help than they would have needed just a few months earlier. That is why Houston's prevention network is so important. Organizations like United Way of Greater Houston connect residents with rental assistance, utility assistance, benefits navigation and other resources that help stabilize households before they lose their housing. If you are struggling to keep up with rent, utilities or other essential expenses, do not wait until you have exhausted every option. Reaching out early gives providers more opportunities to help and gives families more options to stay housed. The Kinder research also reinforces another reality facing our region: We need more affordable housing. More than 140,000 adults experienced temporary homelessness in a single year because too many households live one unexpected expense away from losing their housing. That number points to a much larger population searching for homes they can afford long before they need homeless services. Houston's homeless response system continues to produce strong outcomes. More than 2,100 households moved into permanent housing during 2025, and 85% of those who exited homelessness two years ago remain housed today. At the same time, more than 7,100 people slept in shelters or on the street for the first time in 2025. Those numbers show that while our homeless response system continues to help thousands of people regain stability, new households continue to enter homelessness every day. The Kinder research gives Houston something we have not had before: a clearer picture of the households struggling before homelessness becomes visible. The Way Home will always play a critical role in helping people regain stability, but we also need to help more people before they ever need those services. That means strengthening prevention programs, expanding affordable housing and making it easier for people to ask for help early. Houston has repeatedly shown that when our community understands a challenge, it comes together to solve it. This research gives us a better understanding of where the next challenge begins.
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