Fewer counted but homelessness still a concern in St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- New data from the Continuum of Care's annual Point-in-Time Count shows a decline in the local homeless population, but advocates caution that the numbers may not reflect the full scope of the issue.
The Point-in-Time Count, conducted each January by a coalition of dozens of agencies, is used to identify the number of people experiencing homelessness in a community. This year's numbers show a decrease compared to 2024.
United Way is one of the agencies that participates in the Continuum of Care and works on continuing to decrease those numbers.
"There can be several factors leading into that," said Jodi Flurry, United Way director of community investment. "One of them is the weather. In January 2025, it was really cold. I don't think it topped 20 degrees the day we had to go out and do the street count. And sometimes people just don't want to be found. They may be living in a vehicle or an abandoned building that we don't even know about. So, while the numbers are down, which is encouraging from 2024, I don't know if that's a completely accurate reflection of what homelessness looks like in our community."
To conduct the annual count, volunteers affiliated with Continuum of Care visit areas where unhoused individuals are likely to be staying to survey them and assess their access to resources. The goal is to gather data on how many people are living unsheltered, in shelters or in transitional housing across Andrew, Buchanan and DeKalb counties.
According to the data:
- In 2023, 175 individuals were identified as homeless, with 134 sheltered and 41 unsheltered.
- In 2024, the number rose significantly to 268, with 187 sheltered and 81 unsheltered.
- In 2025, the count decreased to 218, with 155 sheltered and 63 unsheltered.
"It's hard to say, just based on the Point-in-Time Count, whether this is a victory for our community," said Rachael Bittiker, executive director of Community Missions, who serves as a service provider for the Continuum of Care. "The count is done in the middle of January and only on one day. For people who live on the streets, when it's that cold, you're hiding somewhere."
Both organizations say the focus should remain on the bigger picture. The data is being used to guide services and resources for a population that continues to grow nationwide.
"Over the next few months, we will be evaluating this with our partner ICA so we can dig into the data and look at demographics such as veterans versus seniors or those with severe mental illness," Flurry said. "We'll look at that information and decide if we need to have more of a focus on certain areas, whether that's substance abuse or maybe a trend showing more people in their early 20s are experiencing homelessness."
With continued resources, the Continuum of Care aims to connect unhoused individuals with support systems and ultimately move them into permanent housing. Officials say this also helps reduce long-term costs to the community.
"Homeless people on the street cost the community a lot of money," Bittiker said. "When analyzing data from HUD and other sources, some say $35,000, some say $50,000; that's what it costs for one homeless individual to remain on the street. We want people to be productive members of society. We all have issues, barriers and trauma but it's how we address it that helps people succeed."
Community Missions' 24-hour shelter is set to officially open on July 1, and officials hope it will play a key role in collecting more accurate and consistent data.
"I think as a community, we'll be able to look at those numbers more effectively and have more than just one day in the freezing cold to try to find people," Bittiker said. "We'll have months and months of data to work with."
