ORLANDO, Fla. — A total of 2,781 people were found living in shelters, in their cars or outside on a single night in January as part of the annual point-in-time count done by the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Homeless Services Network annual Point-In-Time count revealed 2,781 homeless people living in the area

  • Every year, homeless advocacy groups spend a night counting the number of people experiencing homelessness in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties as part of this federally required event

  • Homeless Services Network President Martha Are said this year will see noticeable changes in the number of unhoused seniors and youth

  • Officials are also paying attention to changing trends since this is the first count since the ban on public camping and sleeping has been implemented into law

Homeless Services Network President Martha Are said it’s a slight increase compared to previous years.

“We’re grateful that this is the smallest increase that we’ve had in a couple of years," she said. "We’re grateful because the region’s affordable housing market has not been able to expand at the same level that we need in order to effectively prevent more people from becoming homeless."

The new report shows 24% of Central Florida’s homeless population are now people 55 and older.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that homelessness is literally killing some of our seniors,” Are said.

Chantel Crowl, who has been homeless since June 2024, said conditions have been even harder these past few months.

“It’s been a struggle. It has," she said. "I mean, every day out here is a struggle. Um, the new law always in fear."

The count found the total number of people experiencing homelessness on Jan. 27 had increased by only five since the 2024 count.

There’s also a growing concern by local school districts — as of April 2, Orange County had reported 574 total homeless students.

“Awareness is key for our families, letting them know those resources. We strive to connect those in need with the supports available,” Orange County Public Schools Senior Administrator Christine Cleveland said.

Combined with homeless seniors, the two groups accounted for more than 41% of the count's total.

Are said more than 5,000 people were moved into stable housing in 2024. Despite the progress made, leaders agreed that there is still a lot of work to do. 

The count identifies people in all situations of homelessness, including those who are staying in shelters for the night and those who are sleeping in the street, in the woods, and even in their cars.

Are admits this year’s count came with more challenges because of the recent public camping ban.

“Is there anything yet that we can learn about that?" Are asked. "The count happened at the end of January. That’s very soon after the penalty phase of the legislation that went into effect at the beginning of January. We’ll be looking for some indicators inside of that."

She said homeless people are finding better places to hide at night, but also noticed that some were hesitant to connect with HSN employees out of fear they’d get arrested.

When it comes to solutions, Are said a collaborative approach between leaders and community partners from all three counties is essential to developing strategies to reducing those numbers.

But also doing more of what is actually working.

Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose agrees with her sentiment.

“This’ll really be our time for a true public-private partnership where we will bring in our business leaders, our faith leaders and holistically look at how do we improve the quality of life," Rose said. "So that is going to be part of bringing everyone to the table. So let’s talk about this together, not just government being able to say we can take it on all by ourselves."

Are says the number of new developments being built isn’t nearly enough to keep up with the growing number of people moving to the region. And she believes the housing question will continue to be an issue in addressing homelessness.

Homeless advocacy groups and elected officials met Friday at 1 p.m. at the Orange County Bar Association to review the numbers from this year’s Point-In-Time count.