HOUSING
Unsheltered homelessness drops in Harris County despite rise in evictions
Since 2011, homelessness in Harris County has dropped dramatically. However, the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased by 25 between point-in- time counts conducted in the county in 2022 and 2023. OFF THE STREETS
Five hundred people watched from their seats at the Wortham Theater Center as Zasmine Walker gave a vocal solo. Walker, whose other interests include drawing semi-realistic por- traits and cooking seafood dishes, was one of a dozen or so Covenant House residents to take part in the show, a new fundraiser for the nonprofit to support its mission of helping home- less youth ages 18-24. Two months earlier, Walker did not have stable housing. In the short amount of time she has stayed at Covenant House, which provides shelter and support services, a lot in her life has changed, she said. With help from the nonprofit’s counselors, she is looking at re-enrolling in college this fall with an eye on nursing. “It makes me feel like there is hope,” Walker said of the support she’s gotten from Covenant House. “I feel like I can use my story … to inform other youth that need help also.” Covenant House is one of more than 60 nonprofits that collaborate as part of The Way Home initiative in Houston, a city-backed effort to eliminate homelessness. Walker’s personal story, which involved staying in 33 different foster homes going back to age 2, demonstrates why supporting homeless people is such a worthwhile endeavor, Covenant House Executive Director Leslie Bourne said. The number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in Harris County dropped by just over 17% in the past year, continuing an ongoing trend that has seen a nearly 63% decline in overall homelessness in the county since 2011. The latest numbers, released May 3, were celebrated by city and nonprofit leaders in Houston as payoff for more than a decade of effort and financial investments into initiatives to reduce homelessness. Having housed more than 28,000 homeless people since 2011, The Way Home has helped Houston emerge as a national leader in the conversation on how to keep people off the streets, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. However, rising eviction filings in Harris County coupled with an BY SHAWN ARRAJJ & LEAH FOREMAN
increase in the overall number of homeless people in each of the past two years—driven by an increase in those residing in shelters—has some officials in the nonprofit sector focusing on providing people with the support they need beyond a roof over their heads. Declining unsheltered population The 2023 point-in-time count took place from Jan. 25-27 in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties, and results were released May 3. The count is conducted each year by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/ Harris County and involves conducting face-to-face interviews with people experiencing homelessness. In total, 1,186 people were consid- ered unsheltered in 2023 in Harris County, a decrease from 1,430 people in 2022. This can include people living on the streets, cars, parks or aban- doned buildings. However, the number of homeless people in the county has increased in each of the past two years. A total of 1,803 people in the county were staying in shelters in 2023, an increase of just under 15% from 1,534 people in 2022. “Although Houston is showing the state and nation how to reduce street homelessness and encampments suc- cessfully, the job is not done,” Turner said. “We must do more.” Roughly 42% of unsheltered individuals surveyed said they were experiencing homelessness for the first time, an increase from 40% in 2022. Meanwhile, 33% cited an eco- nomic impact, such as job loss, as the primary cause of their homelessness. Eviction filings are also increasing in Harris County, according to data from the Eviction Lab at Princeton Univer- sity. A federal moratorium on evictions was put in place during the coronavi- rus pandemic, prohibiting people from being evicted from their homes, but protections expired in July 2021. According to Eviction Lab data based on courtroom filings in Harris County, the number of evictions filed in each month from May 2022-April 2023 was higher than the average filings for each of those months when using data from 2012-15 as a
5K
Sheltered homeless
Unsheltered homeless
4,170
4K
3,329
3,856
3K
2,417
2,287
2,927
2,052
2K
1,439
1,884
1,803
1,515
1,454
1K
1,078
1,186
0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Total reduction in homelessness since 2011
U.S.
Texas
Harris County
-32.4%
10K
700K 600K 500K 400K 300K 200K 100K 0
50K
-33.8%
-62.8%
8K
40K
6K
30K
4K
20K
2K 0
10K 0
2011
2023
2011
2023
2011
2023
PANDEMIC PROTECTIONS EXPIRE
The total number of evictions filed in Harris County has increased over the past year after federal renter protections installed during the coronavirus pandemic expired in July 2021. Actual filings May 2022-April 2023 Monthly average 2012-15
8K
7K
5,677
5,816
6K
6,296
5,025
4,646
4,627
5K
4,284
5,058
3,878
4,893
4K
4,423
3,752
3K
2K
1K
0
May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.
Nov. Dec.
Jan. Feb. March April
SOURCES: NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS OF HOUSTON/HARRIS COUNTY, THE EVICTION LAB/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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