Homeless Population Continues To Shrink In Atlanta’s Latest Count

A person standing on the side of a street

When the health crisis started in March, the number of people seeking shelter tripled because of the closure of churches, and homeless shelters had to stop taking new clients to stop the communal spread of COVID-19.

Robert Ray / Associated Press

New numbers from the city of Atlanta show homelessness is continuing to decline.

The city identified just over 3,000 homeless people in its annual census in January — a 14 percent decrease since last year.

But while the total number from the count is reassuring, Jack Hardin, co-chair of the United Way’s Regional Commission on Homelessness, said there are some discouraging figures.