A quarterly homeless count conducted by the DowntownDC BID on Monday, July 23rd, shows 189 homeless persons were living on Downtown streets at night. This compares with 132 in January and 144 in April. Although the number of individuals sleeping on Downtown streets has risen, this trend does not appear to be abnormal when compared with other major downtown areas. Nationally, homeless populations often view downtowns as havens where they can sleep. Downtown DC is no exception, as it continues to be a safe place to work, visit and live.
“In addition,” says David Kamperin, the BID’s director of Public Space Management, “having an unseasonably warm winter this year contributed to our higher numbers during the winter count as many sheltered individuals chose to sleep outside rather then at a shelter location. This was also evident during our count in July, when approximately 7% of the individuals counted lived in shelters but decided to stay outdoors.”
Every January, cities across the country conduct homeless enumerations to assess the number of homeless people living on the streets, thus providing a “Point-in-Time” snapshot of the homeless population. This year, to more closely monitor the homeless situation in Downtown, the BID began conducting quarterly homeless counts beginning with the January 2012 enumeration. The counts are conducted in conjunction with Pathways to Housing DC, which jointly manages the Downtown Homeless Services Team, the city’s only non-governmental, clinically based outreach group dealing with chronic homelessness.
What the results of the July 2012 count revealed about Downtown’s homeless population:
- 135 were male; 44, female (the gender for 10 was unknown)
- 151 were African American; 21, Caucasian; 6, Hispanic; 4, Asian (the race of seven was unknown)
- 94% were between the ages of 31-50
- 18 were veterans; 11 had health issues; and three were employed
The quarterly counts will help us establish a baseline for our homeless population, track our progress eliminating homelessness, and improve our ability—and that of homeless service providers—to plan and implement effective services for homeless individuals. Thirty-four volunteers participated in the count taken on Monday, July 23rd, between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am. They include members of the BID’s Downtown Homeless Services Team, BID staff, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) crisis intervention officers, and members of Foundry United Methodist Church and the Salvation Army.