JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The number of people experiencing homelessness in Northeast Florida saw an uptick, according to this year’s annual Point in Time Count, up 14 compared to last year.
Duval saw its homeless population rise 10.6 percent over last year as well.
The uptick comes on the heels of two consecutive years that saw sizable drops in the county’s homeless population, with 2025 seeing a 20 percent year-over-year drop alone.
Dawn Gilman with Changing Homelessness explained the increase is likely attributable to numerous factors, including the fact the count this year was conducted during a deep freeze, which drove more people into shelters who otherwise may have been missed in the count.
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But the economy may have also played a part.
“Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical services, all of those have gone up fairly significantly. Especially, for those who are earning less money and that pushes people into homelessness,” Gilman said.
Mayor Donna Deegan noted there are some positives in the latest report, like an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness who are receiving shelter.
“And we have created partnerships through our homelessness initiatives that have created more shelter beds, which has created more places for people to have that temporary housing,” Deegan said. ”And so, I think that’s a success story.”
The city has employed the help of JFRD and JSO in its efforts to address homelessness.
JFRD’s PATH outreach teams work to connect homeless individuals with local resources like shelters.
“Team members also conduct outreach on medical care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, identification services, and other resources available in our community. PATH’s success is measured by the connections it makes, not by the overall homeless count,” said a JFRD spokesperson in response to the new Point in Time Count findings.
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JSO works to provide homeless individuals with free transportation back to places outside Jacksonville where they have family connections and support systems through its Homeward Bound Program.
“More than 1600 individuals have been provided assistance with transportation funding since October of 2020. We believe this has not only had a positive impact in those individuals’ lives that have been afforded this opportunity, but has also had a positive impact on the downtown area in general as well,” said a JSO spokesperson in an emailed statement.
If voters approve the property tax phase-out plan this November, Duval alone could be facing a budget hole of more than $300 million by 2028, according to some projections.
Mayor Deegan worries a hit that big could reverse some of the positive momentum the city has seen on issues like homelessness in recent years.
“Affordable housing programs, which we’ve put local dollars into to create more affordable housing. You know, those are all things that we would have to look at pulling back,” Deegan said.
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Gilman has similar concerns.
She argued if services are reduced or eliminated, we could see this year’s blip turn into a more alarming trend.
“If there, you know, continues to be struggles in the wider economy coupled with decreasing service dollars for folks that are struggling it can really push the trend in the wrong direction and nobody wants to see that,” Gilman said.
While the homeless population in Northeast Florida did see an uptick this year, the population is still down 42 percent compared to where we were a decade ago.
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