Homelessness Down In Oklahoma City For 2nd Straight Year

For the second year in a row, homeless numbers are down in Oklahoma City.

That's according to the annual "Point in Time Count and Outreach" by the City of Oklahoma City and the Homeless Alliance.

The survey is similar to a census and collected every January. A group of alliance staff personally collected the data around the city. 

According to the January data, 1183 people were counted. It's estimated the community's actual homeless numbers are 4-5 times the amount found on the one night census.

That brings Oklahoma City's homeless population closer to up to 5,915 people.

The survey also revealed:

• 10% of the population are veterans; veteran homelessness is down 18% from last year
• 21% are members of families with children; family homelessness is down 31%
• 31% are female, 69% are male
• 62% are white, 26% are black, 7% are Native American
• 14% are youth age 24 or younger, 53 unaccompanied youth were counted that night
• 31% of the population reports mental illness 

For the past several years, families with children have been the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in Oklahoma City.

The Point in Time report also groups people into several categories including the number of people staying in overnight shelters, transitional housing and people who are unsheltered.

For the full report, visit www.CoalitionToEndPoverty.org