Delray Beach group and police present 2025 point-in-time count; city reports fewer unsheltered residents

Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness leaders and city staff told the City Commission on May 20 that the city’s January point-in-time count of unsheltered people fell from 106 in 2024 to 70 in 2025.

The drop, presenters and commissioners said, is linked to local outreach, diversion work and shelter placements during the past year. Ezra Krieg, chairperson of the Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness, described the count and why the city conducts it: “Every year, nationally, there is what is called the point in time, which is a national census of people who are unsheltered in our community in The United States.”

The announcement came during a 10-minute presentation by the initiative, the Delray Beach Police Department and the Downtown Development Authority. Presenters emphasized coordination among nonprofits, police outreach officers and volunteers and highlighted services used on a daily basis, from a shower truck and laundry to mail service and connections to county housing resources.

Ariana Sientio, service population advocate manager at the Delray Beach Police Department, described the operational services used during outreach: “They have a shower truck twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from about 08:30 to 11. They have a laundry service there now,” she told commissioners, adding that outreach staff provide clean clothing, bus passes for job interviews and referrals to county organizations for treatment and housing.

Laura Simon of the Downtown Development Authority said the DDA coordinates with outreach teams and businesses downtown to connect people living on the street with services and to communicate available resources to merchants and residents. She said the DDA also formed a downtown task force focused on high-traffic areas where people may not be aware of services.

Krieg traced the initiative’s origins to a Delray Beach Police Department effort about seven years ago, and said the group uses volunteers, police outreach officers and a social worker to divert people who are passing through and help those who want local services to navigate housing and treatment systems. “You can’t arrest your way out of homelessness,” Krieg said, describing the group’s philosophy for combining public safety and service provision.

Commissioners praised the results and the collaboration. Commissioner Peter Law called Delray’s approach “very sophisticated” and encouraged it as a model for the county. Commissioners noted ongoing concerns about housing affordability and the risk that more families could become homeless as rents rise, and asked that prevention efforts continue.

City staff and presenters said the count data are based on the regional, county-run submission for Palm Beach County and then parsed for city-level reporting. Presenters also said placements contributed to the lower count: the initiative recorded 75 placements in shelter last year and 6 permanent housing moves; this year’s activity included additional placements in shelter and at least six people or families moved into permanent housing so far.

Ending: Presenters closed by encouraging residents to donate to local member agencies, report illegal activity to the police department, and contact the Delray Beach Initiative to End Homelessness to learn about volunteer and funding opportunities.