NEWS
POINT-IN-TIME
COUNT 2020
Who is experiencing homelessness in Nashville: a look at a single January night
2,016
individuals were identified as homeless on the night of Jan. 23, 2020. Persons in sheltered situations (e.g., emergency shelters, transitional housing, and Safe Haven beds that are dedicated to serving persons experiencing homelessness) and
The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual one-night count of people experiencing literal homelessness, specifically as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This total count includes: 2,365
2,337
Persons in unsheltered situations (e.g., staying on the street, encampments, in cars, etc.).
2,298
Note: this count does not include people who are doubled up, couch surfing, living in motels, or in institutions such as jails or hospitals and who were experiencing homelessness prior to entry or admission.
1,986
2,016
1,401
1,432
1,692
1,698
673
639
616
585
584
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
1,682
That's a total increase of 1.5% - or 30 people - from 2019. Over the past five years since 2016, there's been a 15% total decrease in the PIT count.
73%
are men, compared to 48% of Nashville's population.
45%
The unsheltered count has decreased each year since 2016, with a total unsheltered count decrease of 13%. The sheltered count has decreased each year since 2016 except 2020, for a total of a 15% sheltered count decrease.
are Black or African American, compared to 28% of Nashville's population.
in Transitional Housing: 219
2% are Hispanic,
in Safe Havens: 5
Unsheltered: 584
compared to 10% of Nashville's population.
in Emergency Shelters: 1208
Graphic courtesy of the Metro Homeless Impact Division
PIT count offers snapshot of Nashville homelessness BY HANNAH HERNER Nashville’s 2020 Point-In-Time count found 2,016 people experiencing homelessness. The count took place on the evening of Jan. 23 and into the early morning hours of Jan. 24. This count is required by the national Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities across the country. In Nashville, it was led by Nashville’s Metro Development and Housing Agency in partnership with the Metro Homeless Impact Divi-
sion and the Homelessness Planning Council. Seventy-one percent of those counted were staying in shelters and 28.9 percent were living unsheltered. This represents a 15 percent decrease in overall homelessness since 2016, but a 1.5 percent increase since 2019’s count. Thirty more people were counted this year than last. The PIT count also found that 73 percent of the people counted that night were men, as compared to 48 percent of the general Nash-
ville population being men. Forty-five percent of those counted were African American, as compared to 28 percent of the population. Additionally, 82 percent of people who were unsheltered cited lack of income as the main barrier to finding housing. This count is a snapshot of homelessness, and does not include people who are staying at the hospital, couch surfing, living in motels or with relatives, or living in jail. “The PIT Count provides one piece in
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our data approach, which, together with our improved data collection through Homeless Management Information System, will help us measure effective interventions with the goal of moving people from homelessness to housing quicker,” said Judith Tackett, director of the Homeless Impact Division. “Our city has received a $150,000 grant from HUD to help improve our HMIS, which will provide us with a full picture of how people move in and out of homelessness in our city.”
