Dallas and Collin counties counted significantly fewer people experiencing homelessness in January’s point-in-time count — 3,718 — making it the lowest measured since 2015.

Housing Forward, the lead agency of Dallas and Collin counties’ homeless response system, marked 2024 as the third consecutive year of reductions in homelessness, after steady increases over the past 10 years.

January’s point-in-time count represented a 12% drop from the previous year’s count. Since 2021, when the homeless count reached its peak, overall homelessness fell by 19% and unsheltered homelessness fell by 24%, according to Housing Forward.

Backed by millions in private and public funding beginning in 2021, Housing Forward leaders attribute the reductions to a transformation of the All Neighbors Coalition, about 150 local organizations working to end homelessness.

“The organizations that comprise the All Neighbors Coalition are better aligned on our strategies than ever before,” said David Woody, III, a coalition board member and the president and CEO of The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in downtown Dallas. “We better understand what it takes to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, and we are committed to working together to ensure this progress continues.”

Housing Forward hosted its annual address on Tuesday at the Winspear Opera House in the Dallas Arts District. Local leaders revealed data from January’s point-in-time count, a federally mandated census that shows trends of people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties. Woody, a respected member of the homeless response network, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the All Neighbors Coalition.

The State of Homelessness address — spearheaded by Housing Forward leaders and All Neighbors members — gave a snapshot of the number of people in two North Texas counties who were sheltered and unsheltered.

The count in January also revealed decreases as compared to 2023 in various subpopulations: family homelessness dropped 15%, youth homelessness fell 22% and veteran homelessness decreased 21%.

Families with children made up nearly 22% of households that experienced homelessness, according to the data. Nearly 64% of people experiencing homelessness are male, almost 36% are female and less than 1% identify as more than one gender, nonbinary, transgender or questioning.

Of the 3,718 homeless people counted in January, 88% were from Dallas County and 12% were from Collin County.

Housing Forward president and CEO Sara Kahn said Dallas and Collin counties saw decreases in every subpopulation, with no increases in any measured population.

Since 2021′s transformation — which expanded pathways to health and housing — overall homelessness dropped 19% and unsheltered homelessness fell by 24%, according to Housing Forward data. About 29% of the people counted were unsheltered, while 71% were in a shelter space.

More than 10,100 people experiencing homelessness have been housed since 2021.

Racial inequity

Despite dramatic progress, the data also reveals ongoing challenges, especially in the disproportionate impact on Black residents.

While Black households make up just 19% of the general population in Dallas and Collin counties, nearly 57% of people experiencing homelessness are Black. This imbalance is a by-product of the wide-ranging impacts of systemic racism and inequities, Kahn said. About 28% of people experiencing homelessness are white, more than 9% are Hispanic and about 1% are Asian.

“The data continues to support our focus on racial equity,” said Kahn. “A key part of our system transformation is our commitment to advancing racial equity by identifying and dismantling disparities within the homeless response system.”

Federal officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have called the region a “top performer” in curbing homelessness: Dallas and Collin counties are among only 27% of communities in the nation that saw reductions in 2023.

“The success we are seeing in Dallas and Collin counties goes against national trends,” said Peter Brodsky, Housing Forward board chair. “Together, we have built an infrastructure that is now housing more people experiencing homelessness than ever before and providing the critical wrap-around services to ensure people do not fall back into homelessness.”

Brodsky stressed the need for more funding, encouraging the audience to support propositions in Dallas’ bond election that would spur affordable housing development, add permanent supportive housing options and help The Bridge repair aging HVAC and generator systems.

Overall homelessness in the U.S. climbed 12% in 2023, according to HUD.

In February, HUD earmarked $27 million in annual funding for the All Neighbors Coalition, a 44% increase in performance-based funding as compared to 2021 levels.

While Housing Forward leaders are excited to see such results, Brodsky says this doesn’t mean their efforts can slow down. In fact, the lead agency announced a new goal on Tuesday: cut street homelessness by 50% by 2026, compared to 2021 levels.

Brodsky said Housing Forward is working toward acquiring a $30 million public-private investment, which will put the organization on a path to achieve that goal.

Housing Forward will enter the next phase of ending homelessness, emphasizing closing encampments in public spaces with a targeted “Street to Home” approach. The agency plans to speed up the process by having behavioral health care and rehousing assistance onsite.

It’s an evidence-based model aimed at addressing public health and safety concerns while providing a lifeline to neighbors enduring unsheltered homelessness, Kahn said.

CORRECTION, 6 p.m., April 30, 2024: An earlier version of this story quoted incorrect data from Housing Forward that families with children made up nearly 78% of households that experienced homelessness in 2024. Only 22% of households were adults with children, while 78% were adults only.