Point‑in‑Time count shows growing family and older‑adult homelessness in Casper area, presenters tell council

Kelly Wessels of the Community Action Partnership told the Casper City Council at a work session that statewide and local point‑in‑time data show shifting patterns in homelessness, with family homelessness and older adults rising.

Wessels said the PIT count occurs in the last week of January and the results are rolled into the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) submitted to Congress; she told the council the 2024 statewide AHAR reports roughly 1,200 people counted in Wyoming and that about 350 of those were in Natrona County. "For the state of Wyoming right now, 68 percent of homeless individuals are single individuals. However, families with children are growing 32 percent," she said.

The presentation outlined several local and state trends that city leaders said matter for planning and service delivery: behavioral‑health needs are common among people experiencing homelessness, disabled persons and people age 55 and older are among the fastest growing groups, and car‑dwelling is increasing. Wessels said some of those older adults may be reluctant to seek services and that rapid rehousing can be especially difficult for people with disabilities or specialized housing needs.

Wessels described the local PIT methodology and outreach plan: street teams, fixed “hubs” for surveys, a mobile clinic operated by Health Care for the Homeless, and pop‑up survey sites at partner agencies including Department of Family Services. She also said the community is participating in a national "0 return to homelessness" cohort and that training and cross‑sector coordination have grown through the Natrona County Safety and Justice Coalition and a local homelessness task force.

The council heard that local providers have identified subpopulations in the 2024 count: roughly 28 percent of counted individuals were identified with behavioral‑health needs, 16 percent had recent reentry from incarceration, 17 percent statewide were disabled and about 23 percent locally were older adults. Wessels emphasized the PIT count is a snapshot and not perfect science, but said local participation improves accuracy and helps target scarce resources toward permanent supportive housing, workforce housing, coordinated entry systems and wraparound services.

Wessels invited councilors and volunteers to participate in the PIT count scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23, and described training and volunteer roles. She also said partners are sharing data and applying for grants to expand trauma‑informed training and service capacity.

The council did not take a formal vote on policy at the meeting; the session served as a status briefing and an invitation to volunteer and support local data collection.