On Sunday from 3–9 p.m., the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition will conduct its annual "point-in-time" count of the area's homeless population for the eighth consecutive year.

Teams of volunteers will canvass Travis County with the purpose of counting all the homeless people and gathering demographic and other information. The data, provided to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be used to assess how well homelessness services are going and to help secure federal funding for area organizations.

In 2011, the Austin-Round Rock MSA, or metropolitan statistical area, had about 2,362 homeless people and an overall population about 1.7 million, ranking it 57th out of the 100 of highest-populated metro areas in the United States, according to ECHO.

This year, the Austin-Travis County area will receive $4.6 million from HUD through the continuum of care process, which uses data derived from the point-in-time count, said ECHO spokeswoman Lizzie Laster. That figure reflects an increase of nearly $500,000 from the previous year.

"The increase is not because homelessness has grown, but because our community delivers housing and services that meet the objectives of HUD," Laster said. "The current focus is on permanent supportive housing, which seeks to house people first and wrap them with services they need to be successful in housing.

The following is the distribution of HUD funds, according to ECHO:

  • ATCIC: $348,007
  • Caritas of Austin: $699,089
  • Green Doors: $65,985
  • Front Steps: $353,727
  • Housing Authority of the City of Austin: $554,664
  • Housing Authority of Travis County: $765,372
  • Salvation Army: $534,081
  • Safe Place: $613,002
  • Life Works: $212,969

The national results of the 2011 point-in-time count can be found at www.endhomelessness.org. Results from the 2012 count are expected in February.

ECHO is still seeking volunteers for to assist with the count. The shifts are 3–5 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. For more information on volunteering, visit www.austinecho.org/communitynews/count-january222012