MEGAN HENRY, Ohio Capital Journal — The number of people experiencing homelessness in Ohio increased about 3% last year, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
There were 11,759 people experiencing homelessness in Ohio in 2024, according to HUD’s annual Homelessness Assessment Report. The report came out last month.
Nearly 80% of those experiencing homelessness in Ohio were sheltered while the rest were unsheltered, according to the report.
“More and more folks are experiencing homelessness because we have an affordable housing crisis, not just here in central Ohio, but nationally and until we are able to build enough … affordable housing, we’re going to continue to have this challenge with people sleeping on the streets,” said Mike Premo, executive director of the United Methodist Church and Community Development for All People in Columbus. They host a warming center at a nearby church that holds 40 people a night.
“We’re seeing more and more folks that are sleeping in doorways along Parsons Avenue,” Premo said.
Homelessness in the U.S. increased 18% last year with 771,480 people experiencing homelessness, according to the report.
“It is evident that there is an increase in homelessness across the United States, and that communities are feeling the pressure of the rising rent prices and just the lack of the supply of housing and communities all across the U.S.,” said Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.SUBSCRIBE
The main cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing, according to COHHIO.
“The number one solution is the availability of housing that is affordable to individuals, so that they can exit homelessness, and so the more housing that we can bring to bear within our communities, the more units that can be available and that can be open,” Riegel said.
About 1 in 5 people experiencing homelessness nationally was 55 or older and nearly half of them were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in places not intended for human habitation, according to the report.
“Many of them just simply couldn’t afford to live in their homes, or they were living with family members that could no longer keep them in their homes, and they’re finding their way out to the street,” said Ben Sears, executive director of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.
Veterans were the only population to see a decline in homelessness rates — dropping 8%, according to the report. More than 32,800 veterans were experiencing homelessness nationally.
“I am skeptical of any numbers that show a decrease in homelessness for any population,” Premo said. “I just don’t see how that’s possible. It is an enduring tragedy that in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, people who fought, served our country honorably, are on the streets.”
HUD’s Point-in-Time count are one-night estimates of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness that took place in January 2024.
“The count is critical,” Premo said. “The better our count is, the more likely we are to get more funds from HUD for programs supporting homeless emergency shelters.”
Franklin County’s annual Point-in-Time Count was Thursday.
“They try to make these counts as accurate as possible, but there’s always going to be an under count because there are people who are genuinely suspicious of any government agency asking for information and they’re not going to share it,” Premo said. “The problem is actually greater than what the numbers would show.”
While Point-in-Time counts can useful snapshots of those experiencing homelessness, they often don’t include those who are doubled up liviing in a basement, living in a garage or out of their car, Sears said.
“It really underrepresents those individuals who have severe mental illness, substance use disorder and other kinds of barriers to accessing resources,” he said.