Each year, the National Alliance to End Homelessness publishes the State of Homelessness report, which estimates the number of persons experiencing homelessness across the nation. The 2021 report, which uses data from the January 2020 Point-in-Time Count, found there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in America before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report found that nationwide homelessness increased by 2% between 2019 and 2020, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth. Prior to this current upward trend, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness had been in decline for nearly a decade.
And while the overall number of unhoused individuals decreased 10% between 2007 and 2020, the last five years have seen such a surge in the unsheltered population that almost a decade of hard work has nearly been wiped out.
As of January 2020, 27,229 homeless individuals were counted in Texas. The good news is that between 2007 and 2020, the total number of unhoused individuals dropped by 32%. For context, that means that the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Texas dropped from 39,788 in 2007 to 27,229 in 2020.
What’s important to note, however, is that these numbers reflect a population that may have seen significant growth after facing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. The reality, therefore, is the current state of homelessness in Texas in 2021 could look a lot worse than it did prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
For a second year, TSAHC is partnering with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to offer the Texas Supportive Housing Institute, an initiative that promotes the development of permanent supportive housing (PSH) units by providing developers, service providers, and property managers with the in-depth training and resources they need to build successful PSH developments in their local communities.
PSH is nationally recognized as one of the most effective housing interventions for serving individuals living with a serious persistent mental illness, persons experiencing chronic homelessness, and persons at-risk of falling into homelessness.
This year, the Institute is drawing in teams from different regions of Texas. We’re proud to introduce this year’s participants:
The Coalition for the Homeless Houston / Harris County, NHP Foundation and Magnificat Houses (Houston, TX)
This team is led by the Coalition for the Homeless Houston / Harris County in partnership with the NHP Foundation (nonprofit housing developer), Maginficat Houses (service provider), and Allied Orion Group (property management). They intend to build a 149-unit integrated development with 119 units set aside as PSH units for individuals who are experiencing chronic homelessness or those who are at-risk of becoming homeless.
Project Vida (El Paso, TX)
From El Paso, TX, Project Vida is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing their community with the structures and programs needed to achieve community-wide goals. Project Vida's goal is to create 30 rental units with 5 PSH units set aside for households that are experiencing chronic homelessness or those at-risk of homelessness.
Solutions for Veterans (Waco, TX)
Solutions for Veterans in a non-profit organization that aims to provide U.S. veterans with the housing and support they need to be self-sufficient. With a total of 453 units of housing already in operation, Solutions for Veterans aims to create an additional 34 units of PSH for veterans experiencing homelessness in Waco, TX. All 34 homes will be available to provide veterans with supportive services and case management.
Towne Twin Village (San Antonio, TX)
Housing First Community Coalition is a non-profit organization based in San Antonio, TX that hopes to provide a welcoming home for seniors experiencing homelessness within their community. The coalition includes several different partners who came together with the goal to create a place where all their elders are cherished. Towne Twin Village, the collaborative project design of the coalition, will be a single-site housing community with a total of 205 units made up of 100 tiny homes, 25 RVs, and 80 apartments.
We also invited two more teams to participate on a limited basis. They are The Reclamation Project in Fort Worth, Texas and Settegast Heights Redevelopment Corporation in Houston, Texas. These teams have demonstrated an initial interest in PSH development and will be invited to Institute sessions to learn more about PSH concepts.
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