SALT LAKE COUNTY — At 4:00 a.m. Thursday, volunteers in Salt Lake County will begin a Point-in-Time Count for the county. According to the Utah Office of Homeless Services, the count provides a single-night assessment of homelessness in Utah and helps communities understand the need for homeless services in one night.
The count will be happening starting Thursday and running through Saturday morning. Each morning, volunteers will meet at a hub before heading out to their assigned areas to identify and survey individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. During the count, those surveyed are also put in contact with services that can help them.
In 2024, the Utah Office of Homeless Services reported 3,869 people were recorded as being unsheltered. That is defined as someone without a home and not utilizing homeless services. In 2023 the number was 3,687 growing from 3,556 in 2022.
Another important factor in the Point-in-Time Count is the housing inventory count. That compares the number of individuals and families staying in various homeless service projects on a specific night. In 2024, volunteers say that the average statewide bed utilization was 86.68%. The previous year only 85.95% of the available beds statewide were utilized on average. In 2022, that number was at its highest point in recent history with 88.99% of beds being utilized.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness says that in 2021 62% of people experiencing homelessness were doing so for the first time. In the Beehive State, 9,838 people in 2023 reported experiencing homelessness for the first time. That's an almost 2,000-person increase from 2021 when the number was only 7,912 people.
Some good news out of recent reports is that a large majority of people who utilize shelters in Utah don't stay there for long. In 2021, 77.02% of the people who were in shelters only stayed for 3 months or less. That year, only 1.8% of people in shelters stayed there for 12 months or more. In 2023, 79.97% of people in shelters only stayed for 3 months or less.
This year's point-in-time count starts Thursday morning and runs through Saturday.
