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City and county brief leaders on homelessness: 100 households currently seeking shelter, point‑in‑time unsheltered count risen to ~172
Summary
City staff said about 50 single adults and 51 families were waiting for emergency shelter in the most recent weekly tally, and that January 2024 point‑in‑time counts recorded roughly 172 unsheltered people; staff outlined how Entry Point Durham, HMIS and HUD funding rules affect who qualifies for different programs.
City and county staff gave an extensive briefing on how Durham’s homeless response system operates and the scale of current need.
Reginald J. Johnson, director of community development, opened the presentation and turned it over to Colin Davis, the city’s homeless manager. Davis said the most recent weekly tally included roughly 50 single adults and 51 families waiting for emergency shelter and that the point‑in‑time count for January 2024 showed about 172 people unsheltered. "We had 50 singles and 51 families that were currently in line waiting for emergency shelter," Davis told the body.
Davis described Entry Point Durham (a phone and walk‑in intake operated with Volunteers of America and DSS staff), the HMIS data system, and the differences between diversion, rapid rehousing (federally capped at 24 months) and HUD‑defined permanent supportive housing (which requires documented chronic homelessness and a disability). He warned that current system capacity cannot meet demand: emergency shelter beds have fallen from about 110 pre‑pandemic to roughly 77 today, rapid rehousing wait lists exceed available units, and permanent supportive housing availability is limited.
Council members pressed staff on transitional housing, services for undocumented residents, recidivism benchmarks and how many people are in each intervention. Staff said rapid rehousing functions like transitional housing in modern HUD practice and that undocumented households can be served, though landlord documentation requirements create practical rental barriers. Staff also said recidivism reports and peer benchmarking are available but may require follow‑up to produce comparatives for electeds.
