The number of people without a place to live in Indianapolis in 2026 is almost the same as 2025.
When volunteers took a one-night census on Jan. 28, there were 1,821 people experiencing homelessness, meaning they were in a shelter or were unsheltered outside. That was six more than last year’s count.
Some of the details have changed, though.
There were fewer people staying outside this year. And the number of people who are chronically homeless went down.
The count, known as a point-in-time count, happens every year in cities around the country. The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention leads the effort.
Abe Roll, the coalition’s data narrator, said during an event July 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that the count, released that day, represents more than numbers.
“These are real Indianapolis residents,” Roll said, “whose right to housing has not been realized, and who deserve a place to call home.”
What the numbers show
The count is a one-night snapshot, so it isn’t meant to show a complete picture of homelessness in Indianapolis. For example, the number of people staying outside is likely lower in January than it would be during the summer because of the weather.
This year, there were 272 people unsheltered. Last year, that number was 331.
Most people — 1,346 — were in an emergency shelter the night of the count. Another 203 people were in transitional housing.
There were also fewer people experiencing chronic homelessness this year: 369 compared to 401 last year. Chronic homelessness has a strict definition, but generally means the person has been homeless for more than a year and has a health condition or disability.
Among the 152 people who were chronically homeless and unsheltered, 46% reported having a behavioral or mental health condition.
How does Streets to Home fit in?
One possible reason unsheltered homelessness decreased during this year’s count is the extreme cold. That night the low temperature was -4 degrees, with about 8 inches of snow.
But Roll said another reason for the improvement is Streets to Home, a program that has been housing people from encampments since July 2025. By the day of this year’s count in January, 87 people were housed through the program.
“If those 87 folks did not have Streets to Home and were part of the unsheltered count,” Roll said, “it would have been a historically large unsheltered count this year.”
As of July 29, Roll said Streets to Home has housed around 220 people.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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