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Shawnee’s 2025 point-in-time count: 56 usable responses; majority of surveyed people were male and ages 35–54
Summary
Volunteers and the local homeless roundtable reported 56 usable point-in-time survey responses for Shawnee’s 2025 count. Organizers cautioned the nighttime count was limited and results should be interpreted cautiously; notable findings included a higher share of respondents aged 35–54 and that 61% reported they were originally from Shawnee.
Volunteers who carried out Shawnee’s 2025 point-in-time (PIT) count presented results to the City Commission on issues including demographics and service needs, but emphasized limits to the dataset and recommended expanding volunteer participation next year.
Susan Morse, a volunteer active in the local homeless roundtable, said the PIT count for January 25, 2025 produced 65 raw survey responses; after removing four duplicates and four blank responses the team used 56 surveys for analysis. Morse cautioned the nighttime portion of the count focused on higher-ground or more visible locations and did not include an exhaustive sweep of outlying areas, and said the subtraction of duplicates and blanks reduced the dataset’s size.
Within the 56 usable responses, Morse reported 69% of respondents identified as male and 31% as female. The largest age cohort shifted upward: respondents aged 35–54 made up about 60% of the sample, an increase from the previous year. Morse also said 61% of respondents reported they were originally from Shawnee, while 39% were not.
Race data showed American Indian and Black residents were overrepresented in the PIT sample relative to their share of the city’s population. Morse also said anecdotally that some people who appear in local counts travel along I-40 and may be transient across jurisdictions.
The roundtable highlighted service gaps and coordination needs. Morse said the city currently supports two full-time positions and AmeriCorps VISTA staff working on homelessness and hosts a homelessness roundtable that meets monthly; the group connects individuals to housing and services but stressed resources remain limited. Morse encouraged commissioners and community members to volunteer during the next PIT count and to participate in roundtable meetings.
Ending
Organizers urged broader volunteer participation and warned against overinterpreting the small sample. Staff and the roundtable said they will continue using PIT results to target services, refine outreach, and coordinate with regional partners and continuum-of-care structures.
