Metro Richmond's homeless population relatively unchanged from 2024 to 2025

The Metro Richmond homeless population, as estimated by an annual point in time count, remained relatively unchanged from January 2024 to January of this year.

Homeward's Point in Time count found 660 people experiencing homelessness in January, down slightly from last year's total of 681. Lack of housing and economic hardship remain persistent challenges and driving factors for the elevated rates of homelessness in Central Virginia, according to officials with Homeward, which serves as the planning agency for Greater Richmond Continuum of Care agencies.

The total does not capture other regional residents who are unstably housed or worried about maintaining roofs over their heads, according to Homeward. 
 
The most recent PIT count recorded 517 people in shelter, including 80 children. Those peolpe and families stayed in area shelters administered by a network of providers that include Bridges of Change, CARITAS, Daily Planet Health Services, Goochland Free Clinic, Hanover Safe Place, HomeAgain, Housing Families First, Liberation Veteran Services, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, Safe Harbor, The Salvation Army, Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, and the YWCA Richmond.
 
The number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness – those who were staying outdoors, in cars, and other places not meant for habitation – was 143, a decline from 206 people recorded as unsheltered in January 2024.

Those experiencing unsheltered homelessness are served by street outreach workers from GRCoC agencies, including Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Daily Planet Health Services, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, Richmond Department of Social Services, and Virginia Home for Boys and Girls.
 

A primary reason for the decline in unsheltered homelessness this January, Homeward officials said, was the extreme cold. Due to the weather, additional warming shelters were available across the region during the week of the count, so many people who may have been staying outside in those temperatures were at a warming shelter. Those peoples were counted at that shelter instead of outdoors for the purpose of the single-day count.

Emergency weather resources, though, are not designed to provide ongoing supports to assist people to get on a pathway to permanent housing, and those people most likely returned to unsheltered homelessness, according to Homeward officials. 
 
“The results from the January 2025 PIT count are once again higher than our region’s pre-COVID historic averages of homelessness,” said Homeward Executive Director Kelly King Horne. “One of the most significant trends we’re seeing in the region is that more older adults are experiencing homelessness. Older adults have complex needs and deserve the support to age with dignity in a safe and stable home.”

Families with minor children accounted for 5.5% of those experiencing homelessness. About 45% of people experiencing homelessness were older than 55; the median age of those counted was 52, highlighting a growing trend of older adults in the region being pushed into homelessness. 
  
Economic hardship and housing loss are leading causes of homelessness, according to those surveyed as part of the PIT count. About half of respondents cited cost of housing, unemployment, or eviction as the primary reason they are experiencing homelessness. Additionally, more than one quarter said that the breakdown of a family or relationship was their primary cause for homelessness. 
 
“A central challenge for our region is the lack of deeply affordable housing for individuals that are exiting shelter or housing unstable,” said Jovan Burton, chair of the GRCoC Board of Directors and executive director of the Partnership for Housing Affordability. “GRCoC agencies have proven programs that work to get people into permanent homes, but our region doesn’t have nearly the supply of units needed. Without a substantial increase in deeply affordable housing and homeless prevention resources, our region will continue to see persistently high levels of homelessness.”
 
The Greater Richmond region’s level of homelessness has increased in recent years due to what Homeward officials termed a "historic underfunding of homeless services," coupled with a lack of housing and increased economic insecurity for many residents.

The 34 GRCoC agencies serve more than 1,000 people daily through housing programs and helped to house more than 1,500 people in 2024. Homelessness in the region would rise exponentially if not for their efforts, Horne said.

“The trend of elevated levels of homelessness indicates a new reality that is especially difficult for our most vulnerable residents, including children and older adults," Horne said. "More and more of our neighbors who already worry about affording rent and other necessities of life will feel the immense pressure of instability. This challenge will grow significantly if our region sees cuts in federal funding for poverty reduction and homeless services programs that get people from the street or shelter to a permanent home.”