One Year Later – The New York Times Article

Fryda Ochoa • June 14, 2023

A year later, we reflect on the increase in awareness about what works to address homelessness.

On June 14, 2022, The New York Times published a major story online about Houston’s approach to homelessness: “How Houston Moved 25,000 People From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own.” Later that month, the article was featured in a special print section and on the Times’ podcast The Daily.


The publication of this article was the culmination of about a year of conversations between us, our government and nonprofit partners in The Way Home, and the author, Michael Kimmelman — on top of a decade of work on the part of our entire homeless response system.


We hoped that the article would highlight the collective impact work of our system and demonstrate how Housing First is both an effective and compassionate response to homelessness.

A year on, we believe that it has, and we are glad we have been able to serve as a source of knowledge for other communities:


  • More than 40 different local governments in the U.S. have reached out or visited Houston to learn about our approach, including Los Angles, Denver, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, and Chicago.
  • Coalition staff have visited and engaged with more than 15 different cities to speak on panels, conferences or webinars about Houston’s Housing First approach in combatting homelessness including Washington D.C., Phoenix and Princeton.
  • Over 35 different local, regional, national, and international media outlets — and a documentary crew — have reached out to learn more, including Scripps National Media, WYNC Studios and a radio news program in New Zealand.

Michael (the author of the article) also participated as our keynote speaker at State of Homelessness 2023 where he mentioned what prompted his interest in Houston: "I felt all the negative doomsday scrolling stories about homelessness fed into a cycle of pessimism and despair that made people both more hostile to the unhoused and more complacent."


In the same address, Michael reflected on the impact his article has made: "The public got back a hunger to know more about what works, what is possible, and not just be told that everything is going haywire. Because in the end I believe a majority of us seek common ground and common cause, if we are just given some reason to hope. Houston gives people hope that homelessness is a problem we can tackle together.”


Since the publication of this article, we and our partners of The Way Home have also accomplished several other milestones within the system:
  • More than 28,000 people have been placed in permanent housing (Permanent Supportive Housing or Rapid Re-Housing) through The Way Home since 2012.
  • This year, the Point-in-Time Homeless Count found 1,242 people living unsheltered, a decrease of 17% since 2022.
  • As of May 2023, more than 13,432 people experiencing homelessness have been housed or diverted from homelessness through the Community COVID Housing Program (CCHP).
  • More than 50 people who have stayed at the Navigation Center since it opened in January have already been successfully housed.
  • Overall, our region has seen a 61% reduction in homelessness since 2011.


The New York Times reestablished Houston’s place as a national model and expanded our reputation globally for effectively applying Housing First to address homelessness.

CFTH Leads 2026 PIT Count of People Experiencing Homelessness

By Catherine Villarreal • February 24, 2026
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.

Preparing for a Winter Storm

By Catherine Villarreal • January 21, 2026
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.

Press Release: CFTH’S 2025 Point-in-Time Count Results Highlight Shifts in Homelessness Across Houston

By Fryda Ochoa • September 9, 2025
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
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