Wake County’s homeless count sees increase from last year
The preliminary 2025 Point-in-Time Count results show a stark rise in homelessness, with 1,258 persons counted in Wake County, a nearly 27% increase from last year. While this sharp increase reflects the growing need, it’s also due to enhanced efforts in counting and outreach.
This year’s count used a new app for surveying, which provided better data collection. Additionally, 145 volunteers, up from just a few dozen in 2024, expanded coverage across the county with support from city leaders and targeted maps of known locations.
“This year’s count is the most accurate we’ve ever had, thanks to the improvements we made in data collection and volunteer engagement,” said Commissioner Safiyah Jackson with the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “We see firsthand the challenges that individuals experiencing homelessness face and we’re more committed than ever to ensuring homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring.”
The count, which provides critical data for planning and resource allocation, marks a new benchmark for Wake County’s homelessness response efforts. While the increase is concerning, it also highlights the success of a more methodical approach, setting the stage for next year’s count to be even more accurate. Meanwhile, the Wake Continuum of Care is working to improve data quality year-round by expanding access to real-time information through the Homeless Management Information System and other coordinated tools.
Key takeaways from the 2025 Point-in-Time Count:
- 1,258 people were counted, including 971 in shelters and 287 living unsheltered. That’s more than double the 141 unsheltered individuals recorded in 2024.
- 320 individuals, or 25%, were chronically homeless.
- 61 veterans were counted, with most living in emergency shelters.
- Of the 1,009 adults counted, 61% identified as men, 37% identified as women, and 1.5% identified as transgender, non-binary or more than two gender identities.
- Black, African American, or African persons made up 63% of those counted, experiencing homelessness at a disproportionate rate to their representation in the Wake County population overall according to the 2020 Census.
- The count revealed the need for coordinated unsheltered homelessness responses and year-round shelter availability.
Wake County’s ongoing response to homelessness includes permanent housing initiatives such as King’s Ridge and the City of Raleigh’s Bringing Neighbors Home Unsheltered Response Pilot Program, as well as timely improvements to the rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing referral process through Coordinated Entry.
This is the first year that Wake County is compiling the data for the Point-in-Time Count as the newly established Continuum of Care Lead Agency. Wake County now oversees coordination and resources to better serve those experiencing homelessness.
It's important to remember that the January Point-in-Time Count still represents a snapshot and is generally understood to be an undercount, as it only includes those who are unsheltered or residing in shelters on that specific night.
