Austin & Travis County Homelessness Facts

How many people in Austin/Travis County are homeless?

As of 2007, the last documented homeless point-in-time count, it was estimated that there was over 5,200 homeless individuals in Austin/Travis County on any given night.

(Note: The nature of a point-in-time count means that it will always be an undercount, only a fraction of the number of individuals that suffer from homelessness during the course of a year will be captured due to the survey methodology.)

How many of the homeless are members of families with children?

In 2007, there were 616 homeless households with children, a total of 2,165 individuals, living in Austin in 2007 - representing 41% of the total homeless population.

How many homeless children attend AISD schools?

AISD estimates that between 3,000 to 5,000 of their students are homeless (Austin Independent School District - Homeless Education Learning Program -Project HELP)

How many homeless individuals in Austin/Travis County suffer from chronic mental illness and substance addiction?

20% of the homeless population (1,081 individuals) in Austin suffer from chronic mental illness, and 31% (1,671 individuals) suffer from chronic substance abuse.

How many homeless people receive services?

In Austin/Travis County, only 62% of homeless individuals receive the services they need.

What is the housing shortage for homeless individuals?

In 2007, there was a total housing shortage of 3,097 units in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing in Austin.

References

  1. Point-in-Time Data for the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care on January 25, 2007. HUD's 2007 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Homelessness Resource Exchange.
    http://www.hudhre.info/CoC_Reports/2007_tx_503_pops_sub.pdf
  2. Ending Community Homelessness In Austin/Travis County. "2nd Annual Progress Report." September 2007.
    http://www.caction.org/homeless/documents/ECHO2ndProgressReport_Final.pdf