Homeless population drops in Broward, survey finds

There are about 130 fewer homeless people in Broward County shelters or living on its streets in 2018 compared with last year, according to the results of an annual survey.

This year’s figures identified 2,318 homeless people, down 5.4 percent from the 2,450 in the 2017 count.

Of the homeless counted, the number living on the streets dropped from 957 to 869, while those in shelters declined from 1,493 to 1,449.

Michael Wright, who oversees the county’s homeless programs, credits a focus on “Housing First” for this year’s turnaround. The programs help veterans and the chronically homeless get off the streets and into permanent housing no matter the substance abuse or mental health issues they may have. The programs also provide social service support for the individuals.

“The focus on housing people using Housing First principles is working,” Wright said.

Broward Commissioner Nan Rich said the more permanent housing the county can provide, as opposed to emergency shelters or transitional housing, the better its chance of

ending the cycle of homelessness.

“People tend to stay in permanent supportive housing,” Rich said. “It’s a lot more expensive if you leave people on the streets and they go into prison.”

The county’s homeless snapshot comes from a survey conducted Jan. 23, Jan. 24 and Jan. 27, when volunteers fanned out throughout the county for the annual Point In Time Count, trying to track down homeless individuals wherever they might be.

More than 430 communities across the country participate in the Point In Time Count each January to quantify homelessness in the country, Wright said.

"The Point In Time Count is the best mechanism to determine what is a daily homeless census," Wright said. "We know where people are. We go to those spots and we count them."

Palm Beach County’s count released earlier this year showed a significant reduction in homeless individuals there, dropping 18.6 percent from 1,607 last year to 1,308.

Miami-Dade County’s numbers also decreased, with an 8.3 percent drop from 3,847 to 3,526.

Broward’s numbers have decreased dramatically since 2011, when the count identified 3,801 homeless individuals.

Some of the highlights from the 2018 count:

The number of homeless veterans increased slightly, from 197 to 202, but those not in shelters dropped from 105 to 78.

The homeless included 1,588 males, 718 females and 12 transgender individuals.

Homeless individuals with substance-abuse disorders dropped from 510 to 441, while those who were victims of domestic violence decreased from 241 to 171.

The county’s Homeless Continuum of Care, and advisory board to the County Commission, is finalizing a comprehensive report for this year’s count that should be out within the next 45 days, Wright said.