The number of people and families in Palm Beach County without a place to live has increased dramatically in the past year, with many forced to live in abandoned buildings or outside, in bus stops and parks, according to a new annual report on homelessness.
The Homeless and Housing Alliance and several participating nonprofits say they counted more than 2,100 people as homeless during the 24-hour period of Jan. 25-Jan. 26. It's an annual "point-in-time" census of the homeless.
That’s a 15% increase from the same time last year — nearly 300 more people without permanent housing. The situation improved slightly for military veterans and families with children.
The rise in homelessness is not unique to Palm Beach County, according to the latest report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which found the number increasing since 2017.
The alliance reports that more than 600,000 people in America experience homelessness on any given night, with nearly half — 250,000 — sleeping outside. The primary cause of the record levels of homelessness is the unaffordable housing market, according to research from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
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In Palm Beach County, hundreds of staff and volunteers from nonprofit organizations helped survey individuals and families throughout the county.
Mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the count helps the county measure what approach to take for providing housing and providing resources to groups that need it the most.
The challenge of affordable housing
Like elsewhere across the nation, among the biggest challenges: affordable housing.
The median sale price for a home in Palm Beach County, according to real estate firm Redfin, is at $500,000 — a 14% increase from this time last year. The gap of whether to buy or rent has narrowed, and the increase in cost and lack of housing availability has impacted temporary shelters.
Zillow, the online real estate listing firm, reports that the median rent for apartments of any size in the West Palm Beach area is $2,719 monthly, which is 29% higher than the national median rent.
Housing advocate Diana Stanley, CEO of The Lord’s Place in West Palm Beach — one of the largest nonprofits serving people experiencing homelessness in Palm Beach County — told WLRN they “are dealing with not even being able to find housing that we can rent for our clients to put them in," she said.
Earlier this year, the county opened the $17 million, 60+ bed transitional Housing Resource Center in Lake Worth Beach. It supports people experiencing homelessness in Palm Beach County by providing temporary housing and resources, such as education and employment assistance for up to 90 days.
Expanding housing programs
Most of the people are concentrated in cities like West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth, Delray, and in the western part of the county like Belle Glade.
County officials from the PBC Community Services Department and Homeless and Housing Alliance said in a statement they are working to expand rehousing programs, transitional housing locations, and “enhance the coordinated entry system to quickly identify and serve homeless individuals.”
It includes a new plan with the West Palm Beach Housing Authority to construct nearly 20 cottage homes for families in need of transitional housing.
“We know that our work is not over," said Wendy Tippett, PBC Community Services Department Human Services and Community Action Director.
The county uses "the PIT count numbers to make data-driven decisions on how to provide essential services to the areas most in need," she said.
People facing homeless can contact the Central County Housing Resource Center, thehomelessplan.org or call 833-HHA-WILL
