Press release from City of Asheville:
The 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) results were submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on April 28 as part of Asheville’s Continum of Care designation. The annual count was conducted on January 31, 2023, with the help of 75 volunteers, the largest number of volunteers to date.
Emily Ball, Homeless Strategy Division Manager with the City of Asheville, presented the results of the 2023 PIT count to Asheville City Council, as part of the manager’s report, at their May 9 meeting. The presentation denoted a slight decrease in the number of unsheltered persons, and an overall count more in line with historic population size although unsheltered homelessness continues to be higher than pre-pandemic rates. Staff remains optimistic as the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC) works to develop more shelter beds and two new Permanent Supportive Housing projects are expected to come online this year, positively impacting the 2024 count.
The Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC) will further analyze results at their May 11 meeting, and use the PIT data to inform their strategies in the coming years.
PIT Results 2023
While the annual Point-in-Time count captures a snapshot of Asheville’s homelessness situation, Homeless Strategy Division Manager Emily Ball stressed the importance of increasing data gathered year-round via the Homeless Information Management System (HMIS), a system shared by area service providers like Homeward Bound.
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