From [HERE] An annual census found 1,701 individuals experienced homelessness in Marion County on a single night in January, a five percent increase from last year. The number of unsheltered people dropped five percent, from 357 to 339 people.

That’s still about three quarters higher than the number of unsheltered counted in 2022 and triple those counted in 2019.

The census found historic inequities haven’t improved. Over half surveyed were Black individuals, while about 30 percent of Marion County’s overall population is Black. These numbers have been over 50 percent since at least 2019.

More than 100 people gathered on a rainy Wednesday for an event in the Basile Theater at the Historic Athenaeum to learn about the state of homelessness in Indianapolis.

Mayor Joe Hogsett opened the discussion with remarks about his administration’s efforts to reduce the numbers of residents without a home. Those efforts include more permanent supportive housing, legal assistance to thousands of tenants facing evictions and development projects to increase the number of available beds.

“But what the data tells me is that we must do more,” Hogsett said.

Individuals surveyed most commonly cited job loss and lack of income as the cause of their homelessness.

In April, the city and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development entered a cooperative agreement to take over the Indianapolis Housing Agency after years of problems. That agency is responsible for providing housing vouchers for low income residents.