City, volunteers conduct annual Point in Time homelessness count

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Key to Home partners were up well before the sun on Thursday morning for its annual Point in Time count. It’s a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City on a single day. 

"Point in Time counts really kind of determine what we're going to do over the next year and what strategies we're going to implement,” said Erin Goodin, the CEO and President of the OKC City Rescue Mission. 

At a press conference on Thursday, Key to Home partners said the leading cause of someone experiencing homelessness is failed relationships. Lack of affordable housing, job loss and medical expenses are also top reasons. 

In 2024, 1,838 people experiencing homelessness were counted living on Oklahoma City streets. That was up 28 percent from the 2023 count. 

"It's likely that numbers will continue to increase for several years until we're able to really increase the affordable housing stock. We hope to slow down the increase so that it's not jumping at the same kind of pace that it was last year,” said Jamie Caves, the Key to Home Partnership Strategy Implementation Manager. 

Caves said they are housing at a greater rate than in the past. 

“But there are more people coming into the system, and that inflow is outpacing the growth of services and housing options that are available,” said Caves. 

On a more encouraging note, Caves added we could see declines in specific subpopulations this year. 

Key to Home partners said they are optimistic for the future. 

“In terms of measuring our success, every single person that we successfully move into housing, that's a win for us as a community. That's one less human being living on the streets,” said Meghan Mueller, President and CEO of the Homeless Alliance. “So I think you know, not losing sight of those minor victories is really important too." 

The 2025 Point in Time count is expected to be released in May or June.