Curtis Booker is a reporter for KSL.
SALT LAKE CITY — Volunteers across Utah count the number of people experiencing homelessness at the end of January every year.The Point-In-Time Count is meant to help capture a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness; it is conducted nationwide over several days in January.
The data collected helps state leaders, policymakers and service providers get a better understanding of the unsheltered population throughout the state — and what the needs are.Social service agencies and government entities, along with coordinated volunteers in Salt Lake County, will join other municipalities across the state and nation in visiting designated areas to collect data on where homeless community members sleep on the night of Jan. 28.The 2026 count takes place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.Data from Utah's 2025 Point-In-Time count revealed an 18% increase from the prior year in homelessness across the state, with over 4,500 people affected. The 2025 count also revealed that over 650 children were experiencing homelessness — an increase of 12% from 2024, signaling the need for family resources.Utah families saw a significant uptick in homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 27% increase between 2020 and 2023, according to a 2024 report by the Utah Office of Homeless Services.Leaders at The Road Home, one of Utah's largest homeless shelter operators, believe there may be more families experiencing homelessness that haven't been accounted for previously.During this year's Point-In-Time Count, families experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake County are encouraged to visit the Connie Crosby Family Resource Center as part of Road Home's new approach to obtain a more accurate view of family homelessness."We're trying this new method — hoping that we can get families to come in to shelter to make sure that we are not missing anyone who is experiencing unsheltered homelessness," said Tessa Nicolaides, director of the Connie Crosby Family Resource Center and director of the family street outreach program. " hoping that this will be a way to identify those families and get them accounted for and then also make sure they're getting connected to resources."Nicolaides said that for volunteers and street outreach teams canvassing areas for people experiencing homelessness, it can be challenging to encounter families with children because they aren't always as visible."It's been hard in years
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