2026 Point-In-Time Results Provide Latest Snapshot of Homelessness in the District

(Washington, DC) - Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District's Department of Human Services (DHS) shared the results of the 2026 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, the annual census of individuals experiencing homelessness. This year's count took place on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, and showed an overall 4.4% increase from 2025. Homelessness among unaccompanied individuals and transition age youth (18-24) remained relatively flat year-over-year, up 0.3% and down 0.7%, respectively, and homelessness among families increased 15.8%.

Compared to pre-pandemic and pre-Homeward DC, homelessness remains down significantly. Overall homelessness is down 16% compared to 2020, the last PIT Count recorded before the COVID-19 public health emergency, and down 26.5% compared to 2015. Despite this year's increase, family homelessness is down 35.5% from 2020, and down 54.8% from 2015.

"This year's PIT results reflect an intentional shift in policy designed to ensure that when families exit homelessness, they exit for good," said DHS Director A.D. Rachel Pierre. "We have implemented a more targeted approach that matches each family with a tailored housing resource-which can take longer-and at the same time increased our focus on prevention and diversion programs, like HPP and DC Flex, which have reduced inflows into our family homeless system."

This year's higher families count was due primarily to longer stays in shelter. Because of the District's shift in approach and a renewed focus on matching families with housing supports that best meet their long-term needs, some families spent more time in shelter to secure the most sustainable option, rather than being referred to a resource that could increase their risk of reentry.

Despite the longer stays, family shelter entries declined by 30% compared to the previous year. Over the past decade, in addition to closing the DC General Shelter and replacing it with smaller, service-enriched shelters citywide, the Bowser Administration has focused on investing in programs and resources that prevent families from experiencing homelessness. Programs like the Homeless Prevention Program (HPP), which offer targeted services and flexible supports that meet families where they are, have helped thousands of families avoid entering shelter.

As a result of a continued commitment to year-round street outreach, the District is also making progress getting individuals to come into shelter. According to this year's PIT Count, the number of unsheltered individuals declined an estimated 9.3% from 2025.

Building on more than a decade of investments in the transformation of the District's homeless services system, Mayor Bowser's Fiscal Year 2027 budget makes investments in proven strategies for driving down homelessness, with an emphasis on prevention and diversion:

• $13.42M for homelessness prevention and diversion through the Homeless Prevention Program and DC Flex for families.
• $1.68M for homelessness prevention and diversion through Project Reconnect and DC Flex for individuals.
• $7.23M to maintain our Comprehensive Street Outreach Network and Day Services Centers supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, especially those living unsheltered.
• $25M to acquire a third bridge housing site and $3.4M to support ongoing operations.
• $37.1M for renovating and rebuilding the District's shelter capacity, including the Federal City/CCNV and New York Avenue shelters to expand our capacity to offer unhoused residents a safe, clean, and dignified place to stay until they get back into permanent housing.
• $534k to support the Peer Case Management Institute (PCMI), a partnership with the Howard University School of Social Work that trains residents with lived experience of homelessness to become case managers within the District's Continuum of Care.
• $246M to support more than 9,000 households in permanent housing programs, providing the stability and services that allow individuals and families to focus on long-term well-being

The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) conducted the PIT Count on behalf of the District. The count is a requirement for all jurisdictions receiving federal homeless assistance funding. This single-day enumeration of the homeless services continuum of care provides an opportunity to identify gaps in the current portfolio of services and informs future program planning.

Due to this past winter's snow emergency, the street canvassing portion of the PIT Count focused on individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness had to be limited to certain areas and to key staff from provider organizations. However, the District was able to produce an estimated citywide count using information gathered the night of the PIT Count and the next morning at meal programs and drop-in centers, and by employing a predictive model that used PIT data dating back to 2020.

Data from the District will be included in a regional analysis and annual report on homelessness by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee, presented to the COG Board of Directors on May 13. Concerned by the lack of regional data available, the COG undertook the first effort to produce a Point-in-Time count of homeless adults and children in metropolitan Washington in 2001. More information will be available at mwcog.org/homelessnessreport.

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