Human Interest

Collier County's homeless count number dips slightly; that result doesn't call for a celebration

WGCU | By Eileen Kelley

Published May 17, 2024 at 7:51 PM EDT

Ashelba Brown with CASL, spoke to a man who was living in his car, but would not allow them to count him for the PIT. The Point In Time count took place in Lee and Collier Counties in January. Volunteers walked the parking lots, woods, parks, and even set up a basecamp in areas they know the homeless will be at to get a count on the need in the area. The face of the homeless has changed over the past few years. The first time homeless made mostly up of elderly and single parents with kids are starting to outnumber the chronic homeless. — Ashelba Brown with CASL, spoke to a man who was living in his car, but would not allow them to count him for the PIT. The Point In Time count took place in Lee and Collier Counties. Volunteers walked the parking lots, woods, parks, and even set up a basecamp in areas they know the homeless will be at to get a count on the need in the area. The face of the homeless has changed over the past few years. The first time homeless made mostly up of elderly and single parents with kids are starting to outnumber the chronic homeless.

On a single day in January each year, outreach workers fan out across the country in search of those without homes, hoping to provide a snapshot of the scope of homelessness.

The Point-in-Time Count provides numbers that are analyzed and sent to the federal government. In return, funds are given to communities to try to combat homelessness.

Collier County just finished its analysis. There were 660 unhoused people counted. That’s 40 less than were counted last year.

Of note, the survey is voluntary and the unhoused must agree to be counted. Many do not want to participate.

On the surface, the overall number looks to be a reason for celebration, but it’s not, says Michael Overway the director of Lee and Collier counties homeless coalitions. The number, he said, is way off: “It’s about a third of those that we really believe are experiencing homelessness.”

For various accounting reasons, the 660 figure provided to the government does not include the known 1,665 school students who do not have a home. On top of that, it’s just not humanly possible to find all of the unhoused in just one single day, Overway said.

Also concerning are the 406 people counted who are not living in emergency or transitional housing like a homeless or domestic violence shelter, Overway said. Instead, they live in their cars, in alleys behind buildings and in the woods. That number is 59% more than last year.

“So that’s a significant increase in those unsheltered,” Overway said.

Volunteer, Jeff Plus, records information into the PIT website as Vaneza Gonzales, with Project Help, translates for a homeless man. The Point In Time count took place in Lee and Collier Counties. Volunteers walked the parking lots, woods, parks, and even set up a basecamp in areas they know the homeless will be at to get a count on the need in the area. The face of the homeless has changed over the past few years. The first time homeless made mostly up of elderly and single parents with kids are starting to outnumber the chronic homeless. — Volunteer, Jeff Plus, records information into the PIT website as Vaneza Gonzales, with Project Help, translates for a homeless man. The Point In Time count took place in Lee and Collier Counties in January. Volunteers walked the parking lots, woods, parks, and even set up a basecamp in areas they know the homeless will be at to get a count on the need in the area. The face of the homeless has changed over the past few years. The first time homeless made mostly up of elderly and single parents with kids are starting to outnumber the chronic homeless.

The Point-in-Time Count also found that out that, of those 660:

Nearly one out of every six is a veteran.
One out of 10 is a senior citizen.
And contrary to misconception, the chronically homeless only made up a fraction of the unhoused -- 48.
Eighty-four people have mental health issues
Nearly one out of six have a substance abuse disorder
Seventy-one are on the streets because of substance abuse disorders
Three have AIDs

Overway was not surprised by the findings considering Collier County is considered the second richest county in the state.

"You might have the most wealth, but it really doesn’t matter," he said. "It doesn’t really matter because wealth isn’t doing anything to end homelessness and progress.”

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