Tri Cities homeless population more than doubles according to PIT count

The annual Point in Time (PIT) count, surveyed the number of unhoused people in Northeast Tennessee in January and the results show homelessness has nearly tripled since 2020. In 2020, the count found nearly 400 people without housing. This year, the number is over 900. The annual survey is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in order for organizations and local governments to receive federal funding to combat homelessness. Volunteers and social service agency members spend a night finding unhoused individuals and interviewing them to analyze trends. Officials say there are multiple reasons the number has increased, including rent hikes and the after effects of Hurricane Helene. The count also showed an increase in unhoused people with severe mental health and substance abuse issues with 40% of those surveyed struggled with one or both of those issues.