[T]he number of Vermonters who are homeless substantially decreased this year, according to an annual survey by two anti-homelessness organizations.
The point-in-time homelessness count, conducted across the state, tallied 1,102 people as homeless on the night of Jan. 26, a five-year low and a decrease of 28 percent from the 2015 point-in-time survey.
The 2016 data show a more dramatic continuation of a downward trend that began last year. The homeless point-in-time count reached a peak of 1,559 in 2014, according to the report, and decreased slightly to 1,523 in 2015.
The report, published by the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness and the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance, also shows a decrease in the number of homeless households with children. Twenty percent of the households counted in 2016 included children — a decrease from last year, when 18.6 percent of households counted included children.
Erhard Mahnke of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition said the total decrease shown in the 2016 count is “a good news story.” The trend reflects that efforts by the state and partner organizations have been paying off, he said.
Mahnke pointed to several projects that have taken off in recent years, such as Champlain Housing Trust’s Harbor Place in Shelburne, and Pathways Vermont’s efforts to end chronic homelessness.
“We need to continue to make investments to continue to make progress,” Mahnke said. “We’ve got to stay the course.”
The survey is an annual snapshot of the people who are homeless on a single winter night. Housing and human services organizations and other partner groups count people who are in emergency shelter or transitional housing, using a motel voucher, or unsheltered.
The count, which is necessary to apply for federal funding, is a good indicator of homelessness in Vermont, Mahnke said. However, he said, it can be difficult to get the full picture because some people may be on the fringe — not using shelters, but couch-surfing and doubling up with friends to get by.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that the investments by the state and the investments by the private sector together are turning the curve,” said Sara Kobelynski, of the nonprofit Upper Valley Haven. She is also co-chair of the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness.
The survey found that the number of people who are chronically homeless, or who have been without housing for a lengthy period, decreased by 25 percent to a total of 124.
However, Kobelynski found one part of the data particularly troubling. In the survey, 371 households — 47 percent of the total households counted — reported they were homeless for the first time.
Kobelynski said that is a powerful indicator.
“The underlying social and economic situations in the state that result in homelessness are still very much with us,” Kobelynski said.
Based on that trend, she said, organizations and the state need to continue to partner on policies and investments that have begun to work.
“If the strategies that we’ve been using have been successful, then we need to stick with them for a while longer and going forward to see how much more progress we can make,” Kobelynski said.
According to the survey, 109 homeless people identified themselves as veterans in 2016, a decrease of 23 percent from last year.
Many of those included in the count have disabilities. Nearly a third of all people counted were identified as having a serious mental illness, and 19 percent had a substance abuse disorder.
The survey also recorded a 10 percent decrease in the number of adults who are homeless because of situations related to domestic violence.
Margaret Bozik, of Champlain Housing Trust, said the state continues to struggle with a low vacancy rate and high costs of rent.
“There is the perennial issue of we simply don’t have enough units,” Bozik said.
Bozik said the various anti-homelessness groups around the state are coordinating more on data collection and on organizing services around certain people. One person may need a different situation than another, she said.
Overall, Bozik is optimistic.
“It is really a trend,” she said Wednesday. She said the numbers indicate “that we really are making progress.”
