Point-in-time count shows stable totals but more people with disabilities and veterans housed by vouchers in Orange County

Rebecca, a regional point-in-time coordinator, told Orange County officials on a work-session briefing that the 2024 single-night count for the five-county region totaled 274 people — reported in the briefing as 181 adults and 93 children — and that Orange County’s portion was 14 adults and 11 children, with all adults counted in Orange unsheltered.

"Nearly half of the residents who were experiencing homelessness this year, stated that they were living with a disability," Rebecca said, noting that represented about a 10 percentage-point increase from the prior year and was a growing concern as rents rise and many rely on fixed incomes such as Social Security. She and local partners described the finding as increasing the complexity and resource needs of frontline casework.

The point-in-time (PIT) count, Rebecca explained, is an "unduplicated count on a single night" usually conducted in January and required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for continuums of care. The PIT is intended to give local and state planners a snapshot of who is experiencing homelessness so they can spot trends and align services.

Rebecca described the top reasons people reported losing housing as eviction, unemployment or underemployment, and domestic violence. She clarified that HUD guidance can exclude some living situations from the formal count (for example, households paying their own motel rooms or brief couch‑surfing), while prioritizing counts for people fleeing domestic violence, veterans, and families with children.

The briefing also highlighted an increase this year among Hispanic/Latino-identifying individuals and persistent racial disparity for crisis-housing service users: Rebecca said African American residents make up about 12% of the region’s population but represented roughly 42% of people seeking crisis housing services in the five-county area.

On veterans, Rebecca credited emergency and VASH vouchers with allowing the housing of "probably 9 to 10 veterans in the last year who have been outside for a considerable amount of time," and urged officials to press regional and state partners to secure more vouchers where possible.

Local nonprofit Good Samaritan and Orange Department of Social Services staff were singled out for their year-round outreach and for going back into bad weather during count night to locate people, Rebecca said. She also urged school and education leaders to use McKinney-Vento funding streams for supports including hotel nights, clothing and transportation for students experiencing housing instability, noting Culpeper’s increased service to children via those grants.

County officials asked for a quick definition of affordable housing. Rebecca said affordability is commonly measured by a household paying roughly 30% of income for housing and recommended more funding for permanent supportive housing — programs that pair affordable rents with services — for people with complex needs.

The briefing ended with local officials thanking Rebecca and partners and noting that the county offers a PIT-night dinner and other incentives to encourage self-reporting and participation in the count. No formal votes or motions were recorded during the session.