Street Sense: Homelessness in D.C. may be decreasing, but service providers say the city’s progress is in jeopardy

Street Sense Media reporter Sachini Adikari speaks with Policy Attorney Makenna Osborn on the reported 9% decrease in homelessness in DC, according the 25th annual Point-In-Time (PIT) survey.

After two years of homelessness increasing in D.C., it decreased by 9% in 2024, according to the 25th annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count. But housing advocates say the true scope of homelessness is higher than reported, and the progress the city has made is in jeopardy with few new investments for homeless services in the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget.

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Makenna Osborn, a policy attorney at Children’s Law Center, said she takes the PIT Count with a grain of salt because many families are not captured in the survey. The PIT Count uses a narrow definition of homelessness set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which excludes, for instance, people experiencing homelessness but staying with a family member.
“Especially for families, they are sometimes not captured in the Point-In-Time results because they may be staying with friends or family, doubled up, or staying in their car,” Osborn said. “Families with children are especially careful about not being visible in their homelessness,” she said, adding families may be afraid they could be reported to child services for being homeless.