Ohio agencies are concerned homelessness will continue to rise this year because of federal funding cuts.
On Tuesday, Summit County groups did their annual Point-In-Time Count, a survey of the community鈥檚 homeless population. Many Northeast Ohio agencies are conducting the federally mandated PIT Count this week, while Wayne County and others postponed to next week due to the low temperatures.
In Akron, volunteers and staff members trekked through the snow and frigid temperatures to talk with people staying in tents outside, said Chris Richardson, director of the housing coalition Summit County Continuum of Care.
Some tents were empty, likely because people were staying at the city鈥檚 emergency warming center instead, but Richardson spoke with a handful of people at an encampment on the city鈥檚 east side.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e actually okay living in that habitat,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淚t establishes and gives them their own privacy and their own independency, believe it or not.鈥�
Volunteers also go to shelters, particularly in Akron and Barberton, to count how many individuals are staying there.
The will not be publicly available until later this year, but Richardson anticipates a rise.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a demand for shelter, outreach and prevention 鈥� those services are up,鈥� Richardson said.
Agencies saw a reduction in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, last year, which has impacted outreach efforts, he added.
鈥淎ny cuts to HUD funding is going to do nothing but increase this homeless crisis,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 probably going to flood our hospitals, flood our jails, it鈥檚 going to flood our neighborhoods, and not in a healthy way.鈥�
Last year鈥檚 data show 638 people were experiencing homelessness in Summit County. About 145 of them were living outside.
Wayne County homeless advocates are also anticipating a rise this year, said Brandon Barnes, executive director of the 精东影业ward Bound overnight shelter in Wooster.
While the organization does not receive federal funding, they collaborate with many social service organizations that are concerned about continued funding cuts, Barnes said.
鈥淭he number of people that 鈥� we just served in 2025, unique guests just for our overnight shelter, was 136 individuals 鈥� [I鈥檓] thinking that could double if these cuts go in place,鈥� Barnes said.
That鈥檚 because these services, such as housing, addiction and mental health support, help remove barriers that contribute to chronic homelessness, Barnes said.
When the county conducts its annual PIT Count next week, Barnes expects the numbers to be
Both Barnes and Richardson point to a lack of affordability as the main cause of homelessness.
鈥淚f I can鈥檛 pay my own rent 鈥� if I can鈥檛 pay for my food and my medicine and all those other things, that鈥檚 a challenge,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淚t really does boil down to making sure, when we provide housing for people, that we know that they can afford it, and that it is a place that is clean 鈥� that will allow for them to thrive.鈥�
Barnes added that because affordable housing is scarce, apartments that do open up are very competitive.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing the folks that we鈥檙e serving are kind of falling lower on the priority list and missing out on some places that are going to some other folks that are in the community,鈥� Barnes said.
Last year, Wayne reported 115 individuals experiencing homelessness, with 29 unsheltered.
