OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In Omaha in 2024, 1609 adults and children were classified as experiencing homelessness. Among them, 202 were under the age of 18 and 92 were military veterans.
- For one night a year during the last 10 days in January agencies appointed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) across the country must conduct what's called a Point-In-Time Count.
- Threshold CoC has street outreach teams stretched across Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie counties gathering data and delivering items to unsheltered.
- “It really shows us where the needs are."
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's currently 15 degrees outside and feels like negative three but despite the frigid cold an annual count of those experiencing homelessness in our community is about to begin. I'm Jill Lamkins and I spent Tuesday night with the agency Threshold Continuum of Care to see why now? And what for?
For one night a year during the last 10 days in January agencies appointed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) across the country must conduct what's called a Point-In-Time Count.
“Without doing this point in time count, we can't, we don't know how many people are outside… How much housing we need, how many resources we need, how much money we need so we can help serve the folks on the streets,” said Pete Miller, street outreach manager for Threshold Continuum of Care (CoC).
In the Omaha metro, Threshold CoC has street outreach teams stretched across Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie counties gathering data and delivering items to unsheltered.
“We all have issues. We all have downfalls. We all have places in our life, you know, that we slip, and they just need that one person to help them get off the ground and, you know, to believe in them,” said Mandy Rose, street outreach with the Siena Francis House.
After the count is completed, data is sent to the HUD with a goal of distributing community and federal resource more fairly.
“Last year it was 224 people on the streets, and we know that's not everybody. There's even more,” said Miller.
Those 224 in Omaha are the neighbors counted as unsheltered but in total, 1609 adults and children were classified as experiencing homelessness in 2024.
Among them, 202 were under the age of 18 and 92 were military veterans.
“It really shows us where the needs are. So, for example, that the, the population of unhoused children, people under 18 is the fastest growing population of homelessness in our area. They need different services than, say, an elderly person who's unhoused,” said Miller.
Threshold CoC works with other local agencies to address the needs based on what they uncover.
While this count is the yearly federal requirement Threshold also conducts a secondary count in the summer for additional data to further advocate for equitable housing.
