Glendale releases 2025 Point‑in‑Time count: sheltered and unsheltered populations rise; aging and domestic‑violence households highlighted

Glendale staff presented results of the city’s 2025 homeless Point‑in‑Time (PIT) count at the June 24 joint meeting of the City Council and Housing Authority, reporting 197 people counted and increases in both sheltered and unsheltered populations.

Deputy Director Arsena Sain, who led the presentation, said the count produced an overall increase driven by a 16% rise in the sheltered population and a 9% rise in the unsheltered population compared with the most recent count. The total counted was 197 individuals: roughly 61% were single‑adult households and about 39% were households with children. Staff said 59% of the people counted identified as male.

Key findings and subpopulations - Sheltered vs. unsheltered: Staff said more people were counted in shelter programs than unsheltered locations — a result HUD prefers — but both categories grew. - Age: The unsheltered group included a larger share of older adults; staff highlighted that 43% of unsheltered individuals identified as age 55 or older in certain subsets of the data and that 50% of chronically homeless individuals were 65 or older. - Families and domestic violence: Of the 110 people surveyed in sheltered programs, staff said 46% were children and that many of those children (staff gave the count and percentage in the presentation) were part of households that had experienced domestic violence; the presentation said roughly 78% of the children counted in shelters were part of DV‑affected households. - Race and ethnicity changes: Staff reported shifts in racial/ethnic counts, including increases in sheltered people identifying as Black/African American, Hispanic and white; they also reported a tripling of Armenians in the unsheltered count (from 5 to 15) and a decline in unsheltered Black/African Americans. - Chronic homelessness: The count identified 17 chronically homeless individuals; staff said 10 of those reported becoming homeless in Glendale and that a substantial share had lived in the city for more than a decade.

Sain said the PIT count is required by HUD for Continuum of Care funding and noted the city also uses year‑round HMIS data to capture people who seek help outside the single‑night PIT snapshot. She said the PIT has limitations as “a very small dataset” and emphasized that HMIS and year‑round outreach provide a fuller picture of service usage.

Council and community reaction Councilmembers asked about methodology (the count occurred Feb. 19 this year after winter fires delayed the January window) and about comparisons with neighboring jurisdictions; staff said coordination with county partners occurs but county release schedules delayed side‑by‑side comparison at the time of the presentation. Council members pressed staff on prevention and eviction‑avoidance programs; staff said prevention is part of the city’s year‑round action plan and that Measure A‑funded prevention efforts are being explored and tracked.

Public comment and data requests A caller and a public commenter asked for more granular data on people with disabilities, substance use, and disability types (wheelchairs, blindness), and staff agreed to return with additional year‑round HMIS data by the HUD reporting year (October 1–September 30 cycle) and to incorporate disability fields when available. Staff also recommended bolstering mental‑health wraparound services and culturally competent outreach, increasing housing availability and expanding workforce development and rapid re‑housing services.

Action Council and the Housing Authority voted to note and file the 2025 PIT count (council and authority roll calls recorded affirmative votes by members present). Staff said it will continue to use PIT and year‑round data to guide program and funding priorities.

Ending Staff recommended and council supported continued emphasis on outreach, mental‑health supports, domestic‑violence responses and prevention strategies. Staff said it will return with additional data on disabilities and use HMIS year‑round reporting to supplement the PIT snapshot.