Columbus volunteers conduct annual homeless population count in bitter cold, shaping funding and service planning

Volunteers spread across Columbus for federally required homelessness count

Before dawn in late January, hundreds of volunteers fanned out across Columbus and Franklin County to help conduct the annual Point-in-Time count of people experiencing homelessness, a one-day data-collection effort used to estimate how many people are without stable housing on a given winter night. The count is coordinated locally by the Community Shelter Board in partnership with the region’s Continuum of Care, a planning body that brings together dozens of agencies focused on homelessness response.

The January 2026 operation drew more than 300 volunteers, reflecting sustained community participation in a process that requires teams to canvass shelters and transitional housing programs, while also attempting to locate and survey people staying outdoors or in other places not meant for habitation.

Why the count is done in winter and what it measures

The count is scheduled during winter conditions in part because people living unsheltered may be less mobile and more likely to be found in known locations. Volunteers work through early-morning shifts and daytime assignments at designated sites, using standardized survey questions to help compile a snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness.

While the count is often described as a “snapshot,” local agencies treat the results as a planning tool. The data is used to inform funding decisions tied to federal requirements, to track trends across years, and to identify service gaps involving shelter capacity, outreach, and longer-term housing pathways.

Recent local results show rising overall homelessness

The most recent published local results are from the January 23, 2025 count, which identified 2,556 people experiencing homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County, a 7.4% increase from January 2024. Of those counted in 2025, 2,101 people were staying in shelter or transitional housing and 455 people were living outside or in places not meant for habitation.

Separate reporting on earlier counts showed the total reached 2,380 people in January 2024, exceeding the prior year’s 2,337, underscoring a multiyear pattern of rising need even as year-to-year changes vary by subgroup.

Encampments, outreach, and city responses remain part of the picture

Volunteer teams conducting the unsheltered portion of the count often visit wooded areas, underpasses and other locations where encampments have been reported. In parallel with the count and broader outreach work, city actions related to camp removals have remained a public issue. In 2025, city data showed 22 camp remediations, with eight locations listed as active at the time of removal, alongside statements that outreach is conducted ahead of removals.

Key elements tracked during the Point-in-Time process

• Total people experiencing homelessness, including sheltered and unsheltered individuals
• Household types (single adults, families, unaccompanied youth)
• Indicators such as chronic homelessness and veteran status
• Service and housing needs collected through standardized surveys

The annual count is designed to pair direct outreach with consistent data collection, giving local agencies a shared baseline for planning shelter, outreach and housing interventions.

Results from the January 2026 count are expected to be compiled and released after data review, continuing a reporting cycle that typically publishes findings in the months following the survey date.