Real estate
BY ANDREW CREELMAN
Homelessness rises in Comal County
Number of unhoused individuals in Comal County (2020-2026) Point-in-Time count results show the number of individuals experiencing homelessness has increased year over year since 2020.
to be experiencing chronic homelessness. So far in 2026, that number has risen to 33. The total number of individuals observed to be unhoused was 46 in 2020, and has increased to 126 in 2026. Between 2025 and 2026, chronic homelessness in Comal County has risen by approximately 7%, according to the McKenna Foundation. The increase can be attributed to the cost of living and the lack of affordable housing options. Stallings said the surplus housing currently being built is meant for those with middle- to upper-class incomes. What’s being done Stallings said NB Housing Partners plans to unveil new shelter beds at its First Footing Shelter in May and increase community partnerships. “We’re working together with other groups to figure out how to quickly get more housing on the ground,” Stallings said.
More people are experiencing homelessness in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress. In New Braunfels, similar trends are taking place, with the estimated number of individuals experi- encing chronic homelessness increasing by 200% since 2020, according to Comal County’s 2026 Point in Time count, or PIT. Digging deeper The PIT gauges changes in homelessness in the surrounding area, year over year. The data was compiled in partnership with the Comal County Homeless Coalition and the McKenna Foundation, said Kellie Stallings, executive director of NB Housing Partners. NB Housing Partners is a non- profit that provides assistance to Comal County’s homeless population. In 2020, 11 individuals in Comal County claimed
Unhoused individuals surveyed Total experiencing chronic homelessness
200
150
100
50
0 2020 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
NOTE: THERE WAS NO DATA AVAILABLE IN 2021 DUE TO COVID-19, AND THE 2024 DATA MAY CONTAIN DUPLICATE PARTICIPANTS DUE TO SURVEYOR ERROR. SOURCE: MCKENNA FOUNDATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
21
NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
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