Point In Time Count 2024 begins in Fulton County: An annual snapshot of homelessness

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The Point In Time Count 2024 in Fulton County is starting on Tuesday. It’s an annual snapshot of homelessness.

It is a way for officials to gauge the resources needed to help the unhoused population. 

About 150 volunteers will canvas 14 of Fulton County's cities outside of Atlanta on Jan. 23 and 24. 

One of those volunteers is Rachel Reynolds, the director of marketing for Atlanta Mission. "It kind of gives you a perspective of the life that they're living," said Reynolds. "It's a good snapshot because it gives us kind of a heat check on what's going on, are things being reported differently than what we're seeing inside of the shelter."

She says Atlanta Mission typically houses about 600 people between all three of its metro Atlanta locations, and sometimes they must turn people away. 

"We're typically always at 100% capacity, and so, we are seeing, we are having to turn people away. Not every single day but often," said Reynolds. "As housing gets more difficult to acquire and the cost of living goes up, we are seeing an increase."

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the annual count as a means to determine federal funding to address homelessness. 

Last year, Fulton County reported 337 homeless individuals, but some officials believe the actual number of those experiencing homelessness is much higher. 

The city of Atlanta, Gwinnett County and Douglas County all started their counts Monday night.