Wichita-Sedgwick County 2025 Point-in-Time Count Results Released

Local PIT Count reflects a smaller increase in homelessness compared to national trends.

The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual effort that gives our community a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in Sedgwick County on a single night. On January 23, 2025, more than 130 trained volunteers canvassed the county in frigid temperatures to find and engage with individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. When they made contact, volunteers asked a series of questions to better understand each person’s situation and needs. The night before, local shelter staff recorded overnight guests in our Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

The Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County—led and coordinated by United Way of the Plains—brings together nonprofits, businesses, local government, and community members in a data driven process to end homelessness in our community. Each year, the Coalition conducts a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, alongside communities across the country, to better understand the needs of our unhoused neighbors, allocate resources effectively, and measure progress toward making homelessness rare, brief, and non-reoccurring. The PIT Count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for communities receiving federal funding. Results are submitted to HUD and published on their website. Last year, HUD reported an 18% rise in homelessness across the country.

KEY FACTS

• In Wichita and Sedgwick County, 736 people were identified as homeless (those living in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or places not meant for human habitation, i.e., in a car or on the streets).
• 45 more people were experiencing homelessness during the PIT Count than last year, a 6.11% increase.
• Of those experiencing homelessness, 541 or 73.5% were in emergency shelter or transitional housing. This was an increase of 7.56% of people using shelter over 2024.
• On the night of the PIT Count, the Coalition was supporting 1,407 people in permanent housing, an increase of 41 people housed over 2024.

The full Wichita-Sedgwick County report can be downloaded here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Data Insights and Methodology

How does our PIT Count compare to other communities?
Compared to communities that are like Sedgwick County in total population, climate, or affordability, our overall per capita homelessness is relatively low. Additionally, each community may choose their own PIT Count date and methodology, which could affect their results.

In 2024, the national per capita rate of homelessness was 23 people per 10,000, compared to a significantly lower rate of 14 per 10,000 locally.

* Reno/Washoe County, Nevada CoC only does a full PIT Count every other year; this is their 2024 data.
Data was pulled from individual CoC websites and the U.S. Census Bureau.

What successes has the Coalition to End Homelessness seen in the last reporting year**?

• The Coalition housed or continued to support 1,423 formerly homeless neighbors – a 40% increase from last year.
• Locally, people experienced homelessness for 45 days before returning to permanent housing. The national average was 176 days.
• 8 in 10 people housed by the Coalition keep their housing two years after support ends. HUD considers a high-performing community to be 8.5 in 10.

** HUD requires that communities track annual data in alignment with the Federal Fiscal Year, or Oct. 1 through Sept. 30 of the following year.

How many unhoused neighbors were served by the Coalition during the last reporting year**?

3,257 people were served by the Coalition in emergency shelter, transitional housing, street outreach, or housing services between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, minimizing the increase in the local homeless population.

Of those neighbors, 2,252 experienced homelessness for the first time, nearly a 5% decrease compared to 2022 – 2023. Their time in homelessness ranged from a single night in shelter to those who were homeless during the entire year.

**HUD requires that communities track annual data in alignment with the Federal Fiscal Year, or Oct. 1 through Sept. 30 of the following year.

What factors may affect the count?

• Weather conditions (More people will seek shelter on colder days.)
• Variations in local, state and national homelessness prevention funding
• Changes in shelter locations or capacity
• Fluctuating economic conditions that result in vulnerable families becoming homeless
• Local housing costs and availability
• Count methodology (including having more volunteers resulting in more complete geographic coverage)

Shelter and Housing Capacity on PIT Count Night

Were there enough shelter beds for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness on PIT Count night?

On the same night as the PIT Count, the Coalition conducts a Housing Inventory Count. This count determines how many emergency shelter beds the community has, and which beds were not in use.

Of the 87 unused emergency shelter beds, only 17 of them could have been used by the 195 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Some shelters serve specific audiences – families, domestic violence victims, youth and veterans – limiting the number of beds available to the unsheltered population.

Overall, the community did not have enough shelter beds to meet the needs of everyone experiencing homelessness. Shelter beds meet an immediate basic need, but don’t end a person’s homelessness. The Coalition works to end homelessness permanently through housing.

Were there housing openings for those experiencing homelessness on PIT Count night?

On the same night as the PIT Count, the Coalition conducts a Housing Inventory Count. This count determines how many people could be housed with the Coalition’s housing resources. On PIT Count night, 88.9% of housing resources were in use. The unused resources were assigned to households that had not yet secured a unit or didn’t meet the needs of the current unhoused population. The Coalition did not have enough housing resources to meet the needs of everyone experiencing homelessness on PIT Count night.

About the Coalition to End Homelessness

What is the Coalition to End Homelessness doing to end homelessness?

The Coalition to End Homelessness works to make homelessness rare, brief and non-reoccurring by meeting the needs of our unhoused neighbors in a data-driven process. Members of the Coalition work to end homelessness on two fronts: preventing people from becoming homeless and ending homelessness through housing and supportive services. As a whole, the Coalition strives to end homelessness through communication, collaboration, and system improvement.

Where can I learn more?

Visit unitedwayplains.org/endhomelessness to learn more about the work of the Coalition to End Homelessness in Wichita/Sedgwick County. Sign up to receive the Coalition’s bi-monthly email digest with news, events and updates about local efforts to end homelessness.