In January, over 300 volunteers conducted an on-the-ground survey of homeless persons in the District of Columbia. This data collection, coordinated by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, provides crucial insight into the population of singles and families experiencing homelessness.
Results from the 2018 count were recently released. Here are a few noteworthy findings on single homeless adults, the population that Christ House serves:
- Total number experiencing homelessness: 3,761 (up 5.2% from 2017)
- Health conditions:
- 24.6% have one or more chronic health problems
- 4.9% have a developmental disability
- 18.0% have a physical disability
- 32.4% have experienced or are experiencing severe mental illness
- While there has been a 25% decrease in homeless veterans since 2014, there was a 7% increase between 2017 and 2018 (from 285 to 306 veterans).
- Explanation from DHS: “The increase between 2017-2018 points to the challenge of stemming inflow for this population (over 120 new veterans accessed services in the District every month). Additionally, the work to improve identification of veterans in the District’s homeless services system has also likely contributed to the increased PIT count of veterans, as more people are revealing their status as veterans though they have been served by the system for some time.”
- 88.4% of adults are Black or African American, compared to 47.7 percent of residents of District on the whole
View the full 2018 Point-in-Time Fact Sheet:
See more facts and figures from The Community Partnership.
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