City of Amarillo releases latest homeless population count

A total of 41 teams comprised of 85 volunteers covered the city for 24 hours in January for the Point In Time (PIT) Count – a snapshot of the state of homelessness in Amarillo. PIT is led twice a year by the City of Amarillo and numerous organizations and volunteers.

Volunteers spend a day going around the city counting the number of homeless and obtaining valuable information that helps create solutions for the city’s homeless population.

The 2022 Winter PIT Count consisted of 539 individuals, 368 of whom were unsheltered. There were 171 indiviuals in various homeless shelters and organizations such as the Downtown Women’s Center (59), Faith City Mission (46), Martha’s Home (21), Another Chance House (20), Family Support Services Emergency Safe House (18) and the Salvation Army (seven.)

The Summer 2021 PIT Count had 499 individuals.

“We expect increases in the PIT number due to the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19 in the Amarillo community,” said COA Director of Community Development Jason Riddlespurger. “While Amarillo had a small increase in homeless numbers, the ultimate goal is to end homelessness in Amarillo, and we continue to strive to reach this goal.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many organizations, groups, volunteers and individuals who made this PIT Count possible, we can identify programs and resources to help the homeless and get them into housing.”

PIT data is used the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to identify the number of people experiencing homelessness in Amarillo, determine the effectiveness of HUD programs and policies and to help fund the Amarillo Continuum of Care.