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Albuquerque starts seven-day point-in-time count amid signs of rising unsheltered and senior homelessness
Summary
City officials and the Albuquerque Coalition to End Homelessness briefed council on last year’s point-in-time (PIT) count and launched a seven-day PIT count for 2025, noting last year’s count likely undercounted people and showing disproportionate increases among people 55 and older and Native and Black residents.
William Bowen, lead on the Albuquerque point-in-time count for the Albuquerque Coalition to End Homelessness, told the City Council on Jan. 22 that last year’s PIT count found 2,740 people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque and that the unsheltered figure exceeded 1,000 for the first time.
Bowen said the count is intended to be a one-night census of people experiencing homelessness but that volunteer participation affects results and that the 2,740 figure is likely an undercount. “If we were getting an accurate count, I believe that we would be able to continue adding surveyors and the number would stay static. That's not what we see at this point,” Bowen said.
Councilor Renee Rogers (District 6) and other councilors asked for context. Rogers noted a finding in the 2024 report that roughly half of respondents — about 51% — said they were homeless for the first time, a figure she said indicates gaps in rental-assistance and eviction-prevention programs. Bowen said the PIT also showed a disproportionate increase in homelessness among people 55 and older and persistent racial disparities: people who identify as Native or Black were represented among those experiencing homelessness at rates well above their share of the general population.
For 2025 the city will run the PIT over a full week, through Jan. 29, marking the first time Albuquerque has extended the count beyond a single night. Bowen described data collection as broadly unchanged — volunteers collect demographics, length of time homeless and other HUD-defined measures — but noted a few survey questions change annually based on community input.
Councilors and staff emphasized avoiding sweeps of unsheltered people during the count week. Councilor Rogers asked whether the administration would refrain from clearing encampments while the PIT runs; Dr. Single of the city administration confirmed that while crews will continue trash pickup, the city would not conduct sweeps during the PIT week and that city staff were coordinating to allow an accurate count.
Why it matters: PIT counts inform local planning and are a required reporting element for jurisdictions receiving certain federal homelessness funding. Councilors emphasized that the count both documents the scale of need and reveals gaps — especially for older adults and people experiencing homelessness for the first time — that affect service and budget priorities.
What’s next: Volunteers and council members were thanked for participating; Bowen invited additional volunteer support during the week and noted the city provided donations to distribute during the count.
