The number of unsheltered persons decreased by 15.6% between 2022 and 2023, while the overall count of people experiencing homelessness (both sheltered and unsheltered) increased by 5.3%.
Between 2010 and 2020, this indicator was measured by both the number of sheltered and unsheltered persons. In 2021, this indicator was changed to measure only unsheltered persons during the Point-In-Time Count, as those who are homeless and unsheltered may not be currently served by one of the homeless providers in the county and may require different shelter options than those currently being offered.
The 2023 Point-In-Time Count Report shows that the number of sheltered persons increased by about 16% from 2022, while the number of unsheltered persons decreased by 15.6% from 2022. The South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) attributes these fluctuations to several different factors, including new community strategies implemented in 2022 and less strict social distancing protocols that allow providers to serve clients at full capacity.
There was a 5.3% increase in the overall count of people experiencing homelessness from 2022 to 2023. Approximately 0.15% of Bexar County's total population is experiencing homelessness, which has remained relatively flat since 2020.
The South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) maintains a community dashboard to give more context for and information on Bexar County's homeless population. The PIT Count doesn't show disaggregated data by sheltered versus unsheltered persons, and due to its very nature — a one-night snapshot — the data is incomplete. As a snapshot, it provides information for those offering critical services to ensure everyone in San Antonio and Bexar County has a home. As such, the percent of our homeless population by race and age show what was able to be gathered with these limitations.
People between the ages of 35 and 44 make up the largest homeless population and Black people are over-represented in the homeless population relative to the community-at-large.
SA2020's data by race requires an understanding of historic and systemic racial inequity. Learn more at SA2020.org/racialequity.
The annual Point-In-Time Count happens in January each year, and SARAH updates the information by May.
Decrease the number of unsheltered homeless persons by 50% (593 by 2030)
| Year | Value | Margin of Error |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,187 | |
| 2020 | 1,274 | |
| 2021 | -- | |
| 2022 | 1,036 | |
| 2023 | 874 |
Unsheltered Homeless Persons
South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH)
Bexar County
The annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count is when hundreds of volunteers count the number of children, families, and adults experiencing homelessness throughout San Antonio and Bexar County. It is coordinated by South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) and provides the number of homeless persons at this single point in time.
