#atxcouncil: Annnnnd in the LEAST Surprising News of the Year

"If a ruler pays attention to lies,
All his servants become wicked."
Proverbs 29:12

You don't say:

The annual point-in-time count of people who are homeless showed an 11% increase in people experiencing homelessness in Austin and Travis County in 2020, including more than 1,500 people who were unsheltered.

The point-in-time count of the homeless population took place on Jan. 25, with 886 volunteers fanning out through the city and county to survey people living on the streets, in shelters or transitional housing units.

In total, volunteers counted 1,574 unsheltered people living outside, in tents or in cars, marking a 45% increase in the number of unsheltered homeless people over the 2019 count, which tallied 1,086. Meanwhile the number of people in shelters or transitional housing was 932, a 20% drop from 2019.

There really isn't a lot to add.  This was completely predictable.  Suffice to say, this is terrible for BOTH this vulnerable community and those with whom they interact.

Also, considering that the count was done in January, there's no way this isn't an undercount.  Homeless encampments have grown visibly larger since the Coronavirus showed up.  There are probably a number of reasons why this is the case, although the fact that the state has stopped enforcing its areas of jurisdiction certainly doesn't help.

Bottom Line: What else could you expect?!?