More than 400 volunteers and outreach workers fanned out across Houston and surrounding counties last week, canvassing under bridges, in wooded encampments, along city streets and bus stops, for the region’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless count and survey.
Led by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH), the count provides a one-night snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties.
While results from the 2026 count will be released this summer, last year’s report shows a region holding steady overall, but with troubling shifts beneath the surface.
The Defender went on a ride-along with the organization to understand the on-ground realities of addressing homelessness in Houston.
By the numbers
According to the 2025 PIT analysis prepared by the University of Houston, 3,325 people were counted as experiencing homelessness, a slight increase of 45 individuals from 2024.
Of those, 1,282 people were unsheltered, living in places not meant for human habitation. That marked a 15.8% increase in unsheltered homelessness compared to the previous year.
The rise reverses a temporary dip and signals a growing need for outreach and housing solutions targeted toward those sleeping outdoors.
The 2025 data reveal stark demographic patterns.
Black individuals remained “significantly overrepresented”, making up 56% of the total homeless population, despite accounting for a much smaller share of the region’s overall population.
White individuals comprised 28%, while Hispanic individuals accounted for 12%.
On the ground during this year’s count, outreach workers said the numbers reflect what they see daily.
“I do see, unfortunately, a lot of young Black males. The African American population is experiencing homelessness quite a bit. Some come from incarceration, then try to reestablish their lives and don’t have the same fortunate opportunity to do so as quickly as others. Drugs play a part; some are already dealing with addiction.”
Jeremy Sanders, an outreach worker at the coalition
“I do see, unfortunately, a lot of young Black males. The African American population is experiencing homelessness quite a bit,” said Jeremy Sanders, an outreach worker at the coalition, during a ride-along interview. “Some come from incarceration, then try to reestablish their lives and don’t have the same fortunate opportunity to do so as quickly as others. Drugs play a part; some are already dealing with addiction.”
Discussing the mental toll of hearing the stories of those they count, Sanders and Jackie Urbina, another outreach worker, emphasized how quickly housing instability can happen: “One medical incident, one tragedy, one paycheck away.”
“They just really would like their story to be heard. It’s really hard not to be affected by them,” Sanders said. “Because we’re human too and we have our own stories.”
Funding and what comes next
The PIT count and related data influence Houston and Harris County’s homelessness response and federal funding.
Renee Cavazos, vice president of the Homeless Response System, said the PIT count is required by HUD every other year, but Houston conducts it annually to better track trends and the service gap.
The results factor into HUD’s annual NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) scoring. If the PIT count increases, the region could lose points and potentially funding, while a decrease could improve scoring, though HUD does not fully explain its methodology.
The local Continuum of Care (CoC) receives about $70 million annually, the organization said.
“Our COC dollars have remained pretty consistent over the past two years,” Cavazos said. “We’ve actually grown our COC portfolio by about 25% over the past three or four years. We’ve seen additional dollars through HUD through the program.”
Catherine Villarreal, vice president of public affairs at the coalition, added that COVID-era federal dollars (CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act) boosted permanent housing efforts beginning around 2021, but those funds are winding down, reducing the number of people who can be housed compared with prior years.
“We have not been able to house as many people in ‘25 as we did in ‘24,” Villarreal said.
Cavazos and Villarreal noted that PIT counts are snapshots that can under- or overcount, so the system also relies on HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), a shared database used by providers to track clients’ pathways across agencies.
Both emphasized that Houston’s approach to addressing homelessness is due to regional collaboration among nonprofits and local government. Major barriers include mental and physical health needs, lack of affordable housing, and evictions, although evictions do not automatically equal homelessness.
They also extended support for the Housing First policy for permanent housing, but argue that the next phase must add upstream interventions, such as rapid resolution and improved discharge planning from jails and hospitals.
Stories behind the statistics
For many surveyed, the path into homelessness ties to health and income.
Sanders and Urbine spotted two unhoused men on Highway 59 North. They asked them questions about the reasons for homelessness, abuse, disability, domestic violence, and other details.
The final results of the survey will be released by an epidemiologist in a few months.
Ryan (last name withheld for privacy) told outreach staff he lost his housing after his mother died. The combined Social Security income that once covered rent and food disappeared, leaving him unable to keep up with expenses. Wayman, another man, staying in his car, said he was waiting to see if he would pass a background check for a job he had lined up.
Survey data from 2025 mirrors those accounts. The report identifies family conflict, lack of income, and job loss as the most commonly cited causes of homelessness.
About 40% of unsheltered individuals reported it was their first experience of homelessness, while 89% entered homelessness while living in the Houston area.
About half of unsheltered individuals had no matching record in the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), indicating they had not yet engaged with formal services.
