Around 3,100 people were experiencing homelessness in the Austin and Travis County area as of early 2021, according to the first daily homeless count tallied by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on ECHO's estimate, 3,160 people were identified experiencing homelessness as of this January, including 2,238 living unsheltered—sleeping on the streets or other locations outside of established shelters and housing. A total of 922 was tracked in shelters, including just over 700 in traditional shelters and around 200 in Austin's noncongregate Protection Lodges established due to COVID-19.
ECHO's first snapshot of the county's homeless population released in 2021 uses a new methodology compared to its previous annual point-in-time counts, or surveys conducted in person over the course of a single day. The process involved pulling from the local Homeless Management Information System—a client information database shared between homeless service providers—with data tabulated as of Jan. 28 and reflecting the number of unsheltered people and those seeking services over the previous 180 days.ECHO Vice President Sarah Duzinski said the nonprofit compiled its figures this year using HMIS client information due both to the homeless population's higher risk of COVID-19 complications and a shortage in count volunteers that may have affected the count's accuracy.
"Our homeless response system staff were stretched very thin due to COVID-19 emergency response, and we knew that a lack of volunteer surveyors could lead to an undercount," Duzinski said.
