The Lubbock area saw a continued decrease in the number of homeless citizens, but the number of homeless children was up, according to data from the 2019 Point-In-Time survey released this spring.
The Point-In-Time count is a national campaign where cities across the country attempt to count the homeless population in their communities, according to a South Plains Homeless Consortium, which helped lead Lubbock’s count back in January and recently compiled the data.
“Once the surveys were completed, they were sent to the Texas Homeless Network to ensure the data was complete and not duplicated,” said Ashley Ammons, president of the SPHC. “The Point-in-Time count is a snapshot of homelessness in our community on that particular day. Many factors can play a role in the number of folks who can actually be counted that day.”
Even though the counted number of homeless people decreased from 333 in 2018 to 293 in 2019, the number of homeless children increased from 26 to 42 during the same period.
“The majority of the children counted in the 2019 Point-in-Time were staying at Women’s Protective Services the night of the count,” said Ammons. “Children were also staying at The Salvation Army of Lubbock and Family Promise. Now, while the total number of homeless individuals decreased in 2019, the fluctuation of people staying in our local emergency shelters and transitional housing programs can impact the make-up of the count significantly.”
Organizers with the count said domestic violence continues to be one of the most common experiences among people facing homelessness.
There was a 50 percent decrease in the number of homeless veterans - from 27 in 2018 to 12 in 2019.
“The more than 50 (percent) drop in veteran homelessness that is reflected in this year’s annual Point-In-Time Count is a direct result of our community providers and the community as a whole coming together to help us locate, identify and get these homeless veterans to our doors where we can provide housing services,” said Cory Lucas with VetStar in Lubbock.
Of the total number of homeless people, the count showed 54 percent were male, 45 percent were female and 1 percent identified as transgender. About 71 percent were white and 23 percent were black, with 34 percent identifying as Hispanic/Latino.
April 22, 2019 | Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
By Erica Pauda