A new report shows a slight increase in homelessness in Evansville and Vanderburgh County, with improvements in some categories.
The 2020 Point-in-Time count shows the number of homeless individuals up 2% to 488 from 477 in 2019.
In a release, the city of Evansville points out the number increased by 12% the previous year.
The Commission on Homelessness for Evansville and Vanderburgh County touted some encouraging numbers: Veteran households experiencing homelessness declined 28% from 2019, chronic homelessness fell 11%, and the number of homeless households in the ten-county region declined 6%.
Officials attributed the drops to the creation of housing facilities and programs dedicated to Veterans and strategic investments in permanent supportive housing operated by ECHO Housing and Aurora.
In the release, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke – who heads up the local commission – said effective regional and local collaboration also contributed to reductions in veteran and chronic homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandates the annual Point in Time – or PIT -- count for metro areas receiving HUD funding to address homelessness.
The count is conducted in late January.
