Washoe County reports 1,787 people in Jan. 29 PIT count; unsheltered total falls while shelter and support gaps persist

Travis Sander, division director of housing and homeless services for Washoe County, told the Community Homeless Advisory Board that the county’s point‑in‑time (PIT) count on Jan. 29, 2026 recorded 1,787 people experiencing homelessness, including 341 unsheltered individuals and 88 people identified as chronically homeless.

Sander said the count combined a January 29 HMIS data pull with a physical unsheltered count conducted the same day. He described methods intended to improve accuracy — a phone app to divide canvass areas, outreach case managers, participation by the Washoe County Sheriff’s HOPE team and drone reconnaissance to identify encampment locations. He emphasized the limitations of a single‑day snapshot but called the 2026 effort “our most thorough count to date.”

The presentation broke several metrics down: the unsheltered count was 341, a 56% decrease versus the 2021 unsheltered snapshot, Sander said, while the sheltered population rose (he reported a 57% increase in sheltered/transitional housing from 2025). The overall total was 1,787. Sander noted 346 permanent‑housing exits from the system in the prior 13 months and bed utilization rates near 89% in emergency shelters and about 87% in permanent housing programs.

Board members pressed for context and next steps. Mayor Ed Lawson and others asked whether the region should adopt a “built for zero”‑style operational target; Sander said he would return with an inflow‑vs‑outflow equilibrium metric. Council member Kathleen Taylor cautioned that some presentation lines give a mixed message about progress and called for adding complementary success metrics to future reports.

Sander highlighted service gaps that remain despite progress: a shortage of recuperative or medical respite care for people too sick for shelters but not hospitalized, a growing share of older adults among the unhoused (he said roughly 40–50% are age 55 or older), and the need for tenancy support and light‑touch case management to reduce returns to homelessness. He also noted an upcoming opioid‑focused outreach team funded by a grant and called for continued investment in supportive housing and prevention strategies.

Sander recommended the county continue to improve HMIS data quality and to consider conducting an unsheltered count annually to better track trends. He said about 90% of providers participate in HMIS, which has improved tracking but that a one‑day PIT remains a limited tool.

The board requested a deeper follow‑up presentation on the PIT methodology and a clear, stepwise “pathway” for people entering and exiting homelessness; Sander said he would return with more detail at a future meeting.