The annual count of people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City is Thursday, providing another data point in the long-term effort to better understand and combat this complex issue.
The City of Oklahoma City and the Homeless Alliance organize the survey, called the Point in Time Count. Teams of people from homeless service providers will visit shelters, hot meal programs and encampments to count and survey people experiencing homelessness.
Communities that receive funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development are required to conduct this survey at least once every two years, although Oklahoma City has historically conducted their survey annually.
The survey helps local service agencies identify trends, coordinate services and plan housing programs to better help people end their homelessness. However, experts say it shouldn’t be used as an exclusive measuring tool of such a complicated and nuanced issue.
“Year after year, we remind the community that this is a particularly difficult population to count accurately,” said Jerod Shadid, program planner for the City of Oklahoma City’s Homeless Services. “As a city, we have experienced so many variables come together to affect the count, such as weather and the COVID-19 global pandemic. Still more, we are constantly working to improve our strategies as a community. That’s why it’s so important that service providers from across our community come together to analyze trends and identify where we need to focus our limited resources.”
About homelessness in OKC
The 2023 Point in Time survey found 1,436 people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City on the day of the count, which was a slight increase from the year before. While service providers say that doesn’t mean homelessness is growing unchecked, they also are looking ahead to see what other trends might appear.
"The increase in Oklahoma City's homeless count from 2022 to 2023 was 6.7%, while nationally homelessness increased 12%,” said Dan Straughan, Executive Director and Founder of the Homeless Alliance, “Any increase in homelessness is bad news, but Oklahoma City service providers, in partnership with municipal government, the faith community, and thousands of compassionate citizens will continue to innovate, invest and collaborate to end homelessness in our community."
The community also has a database that tracks homeless services utilization throughout the year. According to that database, approximately 22,174 people were active in the Homeless Management Information System in 2023. Service providers agree that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City is impacted by a series of interlocking issues led by the lack of availability of affordable housing and rising rent costs.
“The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that one unhoused individual costs taxpayers $96 per day and an estimated 8,300 households were evicted in Oklahoma County in 2023,” explained Straughan, “Even if those who were evicted experienced only one day of homelessness, the estimated taxpayer cost of that eviction rate is nearly $2 million dollars. As our agency celebrates its 20th year of supporting this community, we hope to continue to find ways to prevent homelessness before it begins.”
Oklahoma City continues to experience significant population growth, which increases demand for housing. “When you have a strong housing market, landlords have more applicants and can be more selective as to whom they rent to,” said Shadid. “That often shuts out people who don’t have a consistent rental history, have evictions on their record or other issues in their past.”
Results of the 2024 count will be compiled, analyzed and released later this year. The Point in Time survey does not attempt to count people who are temporarily experiencing homelessness and staying with a friend, relative or acquaintance, sometimes referred to as “couch homeless.”
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Editor’s note: To schedule an interview with a person experiencing homelessness, a volunteer or service provider, contact Taylor Self, cell (845) 475-5115.