Survey finds 141,000 Houston adults experienced temporary homelessness last year
A Rice survey found 141,000 adults cycled through couches, motels, cars or shelters last year, while just 36,000 people received homelessness services.
Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research put the number at 141,000 adults across the Houston area who experienced temporary homelessness in the past year, far more than the 36,000 people who received homelessness services across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.
The survey, based on nearly 9,000 area residents and published July 6, found that about 1 in 20 residents in the region had to stay in someone else’s home, a hotel or motel, outside, in a car or tent, or in an overnight shelter. The strain was much steeper for lower-income households, with the rate more than doubling among families earning under $50,000. Researchers also found that about 6 in 10 residents had at least some difficulty paying for housing in the past year, nearly 1 in 10 moved because they could no longer afford where they lived, and 56% worry they may be forced to move in the next year.
Rising day-to-day expenses and utility bills were the most common reasons residents gave for financial strain, and the survey also pointed to pressure from rent, property taxes and insurance. Kelly Young, who leads the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, said she was surprised by how many people reported the problem happening more than once in a year.
The Coalition for the Homeless’ 2025 Point-in-Time Count found 3,325 people experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 27, 2025, including 2,043 in shelter and 1,282 unsheltered. Unsheltered homelessness rose 15.8% from 2024, and the coalition and city officials linked the increase to reduced shelter capacity. The city’s new homeless service hub east of downtown Houston was already at capacity less than six weeks after it opened.
Houston-area homelessness had fallen by more than 60% since 2011 and 17% since 2020, but the Kinder Institute warned in 2024 that at least $50 million a year in new resources could be needed as federal pandemic money ran out. The 2024 Kinder analysis projected that about 5,200 formerly homeless people could become homeless again by the end of 2026 without additional funding. A 2024 Kinder Houston Area Survey also found 22% of respondents said housing costs and homelessness were the region’s second-biggest problem.
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