The Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care has released the results of the 2024 point-in-time count.
The count conducted by local organizations during the last week of January, provides a snapshot of how many are people are homelessness on a single night.
Locally, the 2024 count identified just over 29-hundred homeless people in Hampden County on the night of January 31st.
That number represents an increase of 8-point-1-percent over the January 2023 count.
Officials say they are not surprised by the increase because like much of the nation, Hampden County does not have enough housing units which has led to dramatic rent increases.
In addition, state and federal assistance available during the pandemic is mostly gone and there are fewer resources now.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images News / Getty Images