[Archived] The 2017 Point-in-Time Count: A Snapshot of Homelessness in the City of Alexandria

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2017

The 2017 Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count revealed 211 persons experiencing homelessness (i.e., unsheltered and in temporary shelter made available by homeless services providers) in the City of Alexandria: 

• 30 Households with Adults and Children (35 Adults and 56 Children)
• 120 Singles (83 Men, 36 Women, and 1 Transgender), including:
  • 18 Unsheltered Singles 
  • 43 Chronically Homeless Single

The total number of persons identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2017 Count decreased by 6% from 2016, comprising a 7% decrease in single adults and a 7% increase in families. While there was an increase in the number of families, there was a 13% decrease in the number of children in those households. 

The annual enumeration, traditionally done on the last Wednesday of January, provides a one-night unduplicated “snapshot” of persons experiencing homelessness as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.  The Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness in the City of Alexandria, a public-private collaborative that serves as the local Continuum of Care, conducted the City’s 2017 PIT Count on Wednesday, January 25. 

A team of Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) staff led by the Homeless Services/PATH Coordinator manually counted and surveyed persons who were unsheltered (i.e., who slept outdoors or in places not meant for habitation).  DCHS and non-profit homeless services staff provided data and client-level surveys for persons assisted in residential homeless services programs on the night of the count. 

PIT Count results help convey the scope of homelessness, identify and assess unmet needs and gaps in services, inform funding and other planning decisions, and evaluate progress made in preventing and ending homelessness.  The Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness will be discussing these numbers in greater detail at the Full Partnership Meeting on April 6, 2017 from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. at the Beatley Library. Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington, the complete report of the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments’ regional PIT Count results will be posted the afternoon of May 10.

For more information, contact the DCHS Office of Community Services Director, Jessica Lurz at 703.746.5973 or jessica.lurz@alexandriava.gov.