Last week, officials and volunteers from D.C. conducted a one-night census of homeless residents who live on the streets — an effort city leaders say will help guide services during the ongoing federal law enforcement surge.
The census, which ran overnight from Thursday into Friday, is unlike the city’s annual Point-in-Time count in January because it didn’t involve interviews or collect personal information.
The census found that 764 people live on the street across the District. Of those, 81 individuals live in 54 tents and over 683 people live in other unsheltered locations and are listed as of “unsure status.”
That’s a decline from July, when a Health and Human Services’ survey found 128 people living in 107 tents.
Officials described the overnight census as a “count only,” designed to capture a snapshot of unsheltered residents to ensure resources are available where they are most needed.
D.C. Department of Human Services Acting Director Rachel Pierre told WTOP that the census will be especially helpful as the colder months of the year and hypothermia season approach.
“We really want to have a totality of how many folks are still experiencing unsheltered homelessness, so that we can plan accordingly to meet the demand for shelter,” she said.
While the federal government does not provide resources for DHS’ count, nearly 100 volunteers and members of outreach teams participated in the effort. In a news release from the Office of the Mayor, officials said they’ve expanded their outreach programs in the last four weeks due the increased presence of federal law enforcement agencies in the city.
“Continuing after the surge, we’ll use this opportunity again to encourage people to come in, because we know that in shelter, this is the best way to connect our residents with case management, housing intervention, any additional services that they may need to really move on into the housing process,” Pierre said.
They said since the start of the law enforcement surge, 80 people have accepted shelter services. Over 1,200 beds are still available, with more expected from the opening of new housing developments this month.
“The District provides shelter year-round to families experiencing homelessness, as a policy,” Pierre said. “Last week’s count did not count any families in our count because … you do not have children experiencing street homelessness in the District. That is unique to our jurisdiction.”
In the release, Mayor Muriel Bowser said her administration’s ultimate goal is to make homelessness in D.C. “brief, rare, and non-reoccurring.”
The District’s January PIT census found a 9% decrease from 2024, with a total of 5,138 people experiencing homelessness. Among other data decreases were an 18.1% decrease in homeless families and a 4.5% decrease in single individuals.
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