On the night of Jan. 23, a group of Missouri organizations working to end homelessness conducted the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. This process documents the number of people across the state experiencing homelessness on a single night at the end of January.
The count is run by Missouri Balance of State Continuum of Care, a planning body designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The department requires these groups of agencies nationwide to conduct the yearly data gathering process.
As co-coordinator of the Missouri count and regional coordinator for mid-Missouri, April Redman oversees the count in the majority of Missouri counties. She said the total count last year rose by 27% compared to 2023. Although the most recent data won’t be finalized for several months, Redman anticipates that this year’s count may increase even more.
“We're seeing a rise in homelessness on a regular basis where we are currently, specifically in mid-Missouri,” Redman said. “And I know if it's higher here, statistically, it probably is everywhere else.”
The annual count documents individuals who are unsheltered and staying in places not typically meant for human habitation, as well as people staying at shelters. The Missouri Balance of State CoC partners with the nonprofit Institute for Community Alliances to coordinate the sheltered count.
Sarah Hamilton is the chair of Jefferson City Room at the Inn, one of the shelters that contributes data to the sheltered count.
“January’s been a rough month for our folks,” said Hamilton. “Our capacity is 20, and we averaged 19.3 guests per night for that month. Most nights, even when we were full, we had to turn people away.”
On the night of Jan. 23, when volunteer and board member Stefani Thompson conducted the count for Jefferson City Room at the Inn, the shelter was at capacity. Thompson said about half of the guests chose to fill out the optional demographic survey, and acknowledged that the data only provides a snapshot of what homelessness looks like in a community.
“I wouldn't be surprised if the number has increased from the previous years, but it's just based on what information we can gather from that one night,” she said. “So it's not necessarily the full story."
The unsheltered count is a more complicated process. Redman said counting unsheltered individuals in rural areas is particularly challenging and that outreach is required throughout the year to prepare.
“We interact with as many homeless people as we possibly can on a weekly basis,” she said. “So we're keeping in touch with them, and we're building that trust and that relationship with them, because that's a key piece of it.”
Equipped with snacks and blankets to hand out, volunteers track signs such as trash, fire supplies and footprints in snow to locate unhoused individuals staying in hard-to-find places. In the coming years, Redman hopes to continue building the volunteer base that conducts the count.
“Just because we're rural doesn't mean we're insulated from the issues,” said Hamilton.
