There was 43% decrease in the number of homeless people counted in Collier County this year.
The annual census of the unhoused provides a snapshot of the lives of those on the streets by inquiring about drug addiction, domestic violence and military service among many others.
The one-day count is voluntary and is in no way a true indication of the actual number of homeless people.
Michael Overway of the Continuum of Care Collier County said more likely number is between 3 to 4 times higher.
“We call it a snapshot, only because we want people to understand that this is a day," he said.
Florida lawmakers in 2024 made it a crime to sleep in public. Overway said that has skewed the homeless numbers even more because people have pushed deeper into the woods and many refuseto identify as homeless out of fear.
"That doesn't necessarily mean that they're not there anymore," he said.
The countis mandated by the US Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment inorder to receive funding.
The count revealed:
* Sheltered in emergency or transitional housing — 214
* Unsheltered — 219
*Unsheltered veterans — 12
*People with severe mental health conditions — 56
* People with substance abuse disorder — 48
*People with HIV/AIDS — 26
*Survivors of domestic violence — 35
* Unaccompanied youth — 89
* Children in foster care — 141
*Homeless children enrolled in Collier County Public Schools 1,378
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