[Archived] The 2018 Point-in-Time Count: A Snapshot of Homelessness in the City of Alexandria

News Release

The 2018 Point-in-Time Count:  A Snapshot of Homelessness in the City of Alexandria
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2018

The 2018 Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count revealed 226 persons experiencing homelessness (i.e., unsheltered and in temporary shelter made available by homeless services providers) in the City of Alexandria:  

• 29 Households with Adults and Children (31 Adults and 53 Children)
• 142 Singles (99 Men, 42 Women, and 1 Transgender), including:
  -29 Households with Adults and Children (31 Adults and 53 Children)
  -142 Singles (99 Men, 42 Women, and 1 Transgender), including
  

The total number of persons identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2018 Count increased by 15 people from 2017, a seven percent increase overall.

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 2018 PIT Count on Wednesday, January 24.

A Continuum of Care led team, comprised of local homeless service providers, Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) staff, and volunteers, manually counted and surveyed persons who were unsheltered (i.e., who slept outdoors or in places not meant for habitation) in teams.  The City was split into five sections and each team canvassed their area in the early morning hours after the night of the count. 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 May 3, 2018 from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the Lee Center Auditorium, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA. Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington, the complete report of the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments’ regional PIT Count results will be posted on their website in the upcoming weeks.

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