POLK COUNTY, Iowa — Approximately 715 people experienced homelessness in the Des Moines metro on Jan. 25, 2024, according to Polk County’s homeless services planning organization, Homeward.
The organization's 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which was conducted by outreach staff and volunteers through a series of conversational surveys, tallies up the number of unhoused people in Polk County over the course of one night.
“The Count functions as a snapshot of homelessness in our community,” said Angie Arthur, executive director of Homeward, Polk County’s homeless services planning entity. “This data is an important tool to assess how our homeless response system is performing and to identify the needs of our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”
According to Homeward, unsheltered residents include those living "in a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, camps, or on the street".
The 2024 count showed an increased need for housing help in the county, with the 715 total an 11% increase from 2023's 644 people. The Jan. 25 survey recorded the highest-known usage rates for emergency shelters and transitional housing programs.
Nearly 1,394 total units were occupied, putting those shelters and programs at almost 100% capacity across the county.
Of the surveyed individuals, 84% reported their last permanent address as Polk County, with only 12% previously living in different Iowa county and 4.5% from out of state.
Homelessness due to fleeing domestic violence was at a six-year high; 89 people reported they'd left home due to violence, up 37% from the 65 reported in 2023.
Numbers for youth homelessness decreased, while veteran homelessness rates were similar to years past in the 2024 findings.
“As housing vacancy rates hover at 5%, homeless rates in central Iowa will continue to rise," Arthur said. "This trend is not unique to Iowa but is being experienced nationally in population hubs where the availability of affordable housing is not keeping up with population increases."
Along with Homeward's internal research and funding, data will also be shared with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which uses PIT statistics to appropriate federal homelessness funding.
Homeward staff offered housing assessment, support services, a bag with supplies, gift cards and snacks to all unsheltered people who participated in the survey.
The next Polk County Point-in-Time Count will be held July 31-Aug. 1.