San Antonio Express-News

By Madison Iszler,Staff writer

May 30, 2024

The number of homeless people in the San Antonio area jumped last year as families and the organizations trying to help them battled inflation, rising rents and declining federal resources. 

The increasing numbers, which slightly outpaced the county’s general population growth, are prompting shelters to expand capacities and launch new initiatives.

Hundreds of volunteers who fanned out across Bexar County on Jan. 23 to conduct the annual point-in-time count tallied 3,372 homeless people. That was up 6.8% from 2023’s total and 17.4% from the tally done in early 2019 before the pandemic, according to data released Wednesday by Close to Home, the San Antonio agency that leads the effort.

As a percentage of the county’s total population, which is also rising rapidly, the increase amounted to a 0.01% bump.

The new tally included 2,484 sheltered people, up 8.9% from 2023 and 47.4% from 2019. The amount of space available at area shelters swelled by more than 10%, said Close to Home Executive Director Katie Wilson. 

“So it’s natural that you’d see that with more shelter capacity more people are housed in shelters,” she said.

Some 888 people were “unsheltered,” meaning they were living in a car, underneath a bridge or another place not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition. That population increased 1.6% from 2023 — but was down 25% from 2019.

About 45% of the homeless population tallied this year was Latino or Hispanic, which is about 16% lower than the area’s general population, while 20% were Black or African American, overrepresenting those populations by about two times.

The number of unsheltered veterans fell 18%, a decline that Wilson called “a huge win.” The number of sheltered and unsheltered veterans combined rose 2%.

Behind the numbers

The annual count, which must be done on a single night in late January, is required by HUD as part of its homeless assistance grant process. 

Multiple factors beyond population growth could be behind Bexar County’s increasing numbers of homeless people. For example, federal funding that flowed to local governments and organizations helped keep families housed during the pandemic and in the aftermath of the health crisis, Wilson said, but that money is dwindling and evictions are rising.

Rents and food costs are also draining housing budgets. San Antonio’s housing market went on a tear during the same period, driving up home prices amid surging demand. While the market has slowed this year, rents are still higher compared with pre-pandemic levels. But overall inflation means the cost of groceries and other goods are steeper, too.

Wilson cautioned that there are limitations to the point-in-time count. It’s a one-time snapshot and this year’s tally was done on a rainy day, making it more difficult for surveyors to complete all their questions. Those staying with friends and family members or booking rooms at motels are not reflected in the numbers.

For example, children and youth are often underrepresented because many of them are couch surfing with friends and family, Wilson said. Even so, the number of families with at least one child counted in shelters was up 11%. At 18.2%, children made up the majority of sheltered and unsheltered people combined.

Increasing the amount of funding for measures to prevent homelessness, particularly for families and elderly people, is among the recommendations Close to Home’s report made to the Alliance to House Everyone, a group of about 50 organizations focused on homelessness. 

New accommodations

Advocating for permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people — in which housing is paired with assistance such as health services, counseling and case management — is another of its recommendations.

The number of chronically homeless people, or those who have been homeless for 12 months or more and have disabling conditions, jumped 35% in this year’s count. Close to Home said the increase could be attributed to better data collection techniques, street outreach and Haven for Hope’s efforts to provide shelter for more people. 

Last year, the first residents began moving into Towne Twin Village, a permanent, single-site housing community with services for older chronically homeless people. The nonprofit Housing First Community Coalition is converting about 17 vacant acres at 4711 Dietrich Road on the East Side into more than 200 tiny homes, RV trailers and apartments. Towne Twin Village also offers meals, laundry facilities, a food pantry, community garden, counseling, case management, barber, nail grooming, a dog park, chapel and on-site medical, dental and mental health care clinics.

San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries, or SAMMinistries, operates a 60-unit apartment complex with on-site services near North Star Mall. The nonprofit is also seeking to build a $43 million project on the South Side with more than 200 apartments with services for chronically homeless adults and youth who are aging out of the foster care system. 

More than 600 chronically homeless people are currently eligible for such housing but only about 100 are able to be placed in units annually, Wilson said. The retention rate with such housing is between 96% and 98%, an indication of its success.

“Our strategy to focus on development of (permanent supportive housing) units is the right one. We just have to continue to find those opportunities,” Wilson said. “People are staying housed when they move in, and there are very few openings after people have moved in.”