The point-in-time count of homeless persons in Topeka took place on January 25th. In 2017 the Topeka Rescue mission saw a record number of guests in the shelter with the biggest increase being in persons with mental health challenges. Kansas schools have also seen an increase in homeless children and youth. There was an increase in the point-in-time count from last year. In 2017 there were 356 people experiencing homelessness, this year that number jumped to 419.
“The point-in-time count helps us to identify those people in need and to attain the resources that we need to help them,” said Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka. “We want to thank all the volunteers who helped us with the count and who are helping to make this community better.”
The information gathered during the point-in-time count helps the City of Topeka understand the face of homelessness in the community so that we can make sure services are meeting the needs of homeless persons. This count also helps to raise public awareness surrounding issues with homelessness and measures the community progress towards preventing and ending homelessness.
The City of Topeka’s Housing Services Division has totaled the numbers from this year’s point-in-time count. This one day event produced a snapshot of individuals in our community experiencing homelessness. This data supports federal funding for both the Continuum of Care initiative and Housing and Urban Development.
- 419 People experiencing homelessness.
- 332 Households experiencing homelessness.
- 183 individuals have a serious mental illness.
- 153 individuals are chronically homeless.
- 66% of people were in an emergency shelter, 17% were in transitional housing and 15% were unsheltered.
Fifty-four individuals helped with the point-in-time homeless count, including thirty-eight community volunteers. Below is a chart that details and compares the numbers from 2017 and 2018.
2017 2018
| People | 356 | 419 |
| Households | 274 | 322 |
| % of single adults | 69 | 88 |
| % of adults with children | 31 | 12 |
| % of youth households | 3 | 7 |
| % of veteran households | 22 | 19 |
| People with serious mental illness | 161 | 183 |
| People who are chronically homeless | 119 | 153 |
| People with a substance abuse disorder | 58 | 69 |
| People who are victims of domestic violence | 93 | 34 |
| % in an emergency shelter | 74 | 66 |
| % in transitional housing | 16 | 17 |
| % unsheltered | 10 | 15 |