Latest count of homeless people on the Treasure Coast could be an undercount, critic says

Hundreds of fewer people are homeless on the Treasure Coast than last year, according to the latest count by the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council, which coordinates the effort and works to prevent and end the affliction in the region.

But it may be an undercount, a volunteer and critic said.

The Jan. 25 count showed 24 percent fewer homeless people in the three-county region of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. Regionally, 701 homeless people were found among the three counties that day, compared with 925 on Jan. 26, 2023, a decline of 224.

The drop is because of a change in the council's focus, said Rayme Nuckles, the visionary leader for the council. It is now providing less funding for prevention and more to move people out of shelters and off the street and into housing.

"As we continue, our focus will be on sheltered and unsheltered" people rather than prevention, Nuckles said.

Volunteers counted 281 homeless people in St. Lucie County, 225 in Indian River County and 195 in Martin County.

The count is a requirement for receiving state and federal funding to help homeless individuals and families, Nuckles said.

Impact on other service providers

The impact on services provided by other advocates for the needy may be nil, according to three local United Way organizations.

The Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council's new focus on transitioning homeless people into housing will not necessarily affect investment decisions, said Carol Houwaart-Diez, CEO of the United Way of Martin County.

"... We will continue to support programs that meet the needs of Martin County residents," she said.

Volunteers with the council counted 51 fewer homeless people in Martin County, compared with 2023, a decline of 21%.

"Programs that assist in keeping people from becoming homeless and those programs that assist the homeless are areas that we will still support," Houwaart-Diez added.

Likewise, Thom Epsky, president and CEO of the United Way of St. Lucie and Okeechobee, said his organization will maintain its current focus as the council changes its.

Volunteers identified more homeless people in St. Lucie County than in the other two counties. Fifty-seven fewer people were counted in St. Lucie County this year than last year.

Similarly, the impact on the United Way of Indian River County is expected to be nil, CEO Meredith Egan said.

Indian River County saw the largest drop in homeless people at 118.

An undercount?

Volunteers start at noon one day and end the count at noon the following day.

"The point-in-time survey is way undercounted in my opinion," said Gail Harvey, president of Tent City Helpers, which helps homeless people in Martin County and participated in the count.

Volunteers face several challenges. Homeless people are trying to hide in the morning, so they don't get trespassed, Harvey said. The volunteers and the people being counted are unfamiliar with each other and the count is done only one day, she said.

"I feel they way undercount on purpose. So as to not address the huge problem they have," Harvey said.

"It's not a scientific count," Nuckles said.

Harvey told TCPalm her group served 356 individuals last year in Martin County, which is more than the 246 the council counted in Martin County. Harvey's number may be correct, Nuckles admitted.

"Ours is a point-in-time count," he said, not a yearlong count.

The council's report says the point-in-time count is "an accurate way to show trends in homelessness."

Homelessness on the Treasure Coast was up by 9% between 2022 and 2023, according to the council. Indian River County saw an 18% increase that year, compared to a 10% increase in St. Lucie County and a 1% drop in Martin County.

More details

People included in the count were living outside, such as in the woods or in a camp. Or they were living in a car, transitional shelter, emergency shelter, hotel paid for by a supporting agency or in a place unfit for human habitation. Excluded were people residing with others.

The number of homeless adults fell by 207 and the number of homeless children fell by 17, according to published results.

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Unsheltered adults totaled 460 in January, and 94 children were unsheltered, according to the count. Agencies identified 69 adults and 78 children as sheltered homeless people, which means they were living in a transitional shelter, emergency shelter, or hotel.

More than 250 people, according to the count, were unsheltered in January in St. Lucie County, compared to 150 in both Martin and Indian River counties.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com or at 720-288-6882.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Point-in-time count shows hundreds fewer homeless people in region