Survey shows a drop in the area’s homeless population, but shelter leaders aren’t convinced

The region’s homeless population declined over the past year, according to a survey conducted over the winter months, but nonprofit leaders say they have seen no reduction in demand for services.

The annual Point-in-Time survey is a count led by the federal Department for Housing and Urban Development and is required for its Continuum of Care program, which addresses homelessness by providing funding for efforts by nonprofit providers and state and local governments. All of Montana’s participating outreach programs fall under the same Continuum of Care program, and each area is responsible for administering the survey every winter. 

In Northwest Montana, the survey encompasses the entire Flathead Valley and all the way down to Ronan. In 2024, participants counted 199 homeless people as compared to 263 in 2023. 

Of the 199 people counted this year, 66 reported being chronically homeless. The National Alliance to End Homelessness defines chronic homelessness as being unhoused for a year or more, or someone who has repeatedly been homeless while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder or physical disability.   

Eighty-six respondents reported being in an emergency shelter, 76 reported sleeping in a traditional house and 37 reported being unsheltered on a particular January night. Survey results showed a total of 37 individuals under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness, with an even split of children between the ages of five and 12, and teens between 13 and 17 years old. There were seven children counted under the age of four.  

Overall, the state of Montana counted 2,008 homeless individuals in 2024, compared to 2,178 in 2023. While the Flathead Valley and Mission Valley areas saw a drop, Missoula had an increase of nearly 100 people.  

Despite the drop, homeless shelter leaders were hesitant to proclaim a victory. The survey had previously been administered at the Winter Warm-up event, which was hosted by the Northwest Montana United Way in partnership with other outreach groups in the valley. But the count instead took place at several pop-up events throughout Flathead County this year.  

The goal was to try to meet people in areas like Hungry Horse and Whitefish, who might not be able to travel to Kalispell.  

Sean O’Neill with Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana said letting people know about the survey is best done through word of mouth, and that they might have missed some opportunities to talk to people because of the rotating locations.   

“I do know some of the locations we chose like the food bank areas, those are indicators of people that maybe are food insecure and probably indicative of some housing insecurities from an economic standpoint. So that wasn't the best locales for getting folks that were unhoused. We were able to reach a lot of folks that had housing insecurity though,” O’Neill said.  

Community Action Partnership is part of Collaborative Housing Solutions of Northwest Montana, a consortium of social service organizations in the region related to housing. The group administers the survey each year.  

Samaritan House Director Chris Krager said he hasn’t seen a drop in the shelter’s occupancy, which still stays full almost every night.  

“The optimist side of me hopes that we're making a difference, that we're starting to see the numbers drop. Ultimately, that's the goal,” Krager said. “The pessimist side of me thinks that last year’s survey had some different processes. And we still have gaps in how we're doing the survey.” 

Gaps with Point-in-Time survey are not unique to Northwest Montana. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge told ABC News in February that there are problems with the process. She added that it’s meant to provide a sampling of how many homeless people there are in the U.S., and that her department is considering ways to improve it.  

Flathead Warming Center Executive Director Tonya Horn agrees that the dip could be attributed to the way the survey was administered this year. She said the Warming Center also hasn’t seen a decline in demand. 

There are many factors that go into how accurate a Point-in-Time survey is in every community, including the weather, she said.  

“We're keeping records of the number of people that we serve throughout the whole year, and that would be a more accurate reflection. However, that depends upon if all service providers are using that system,” Horn said. 

The survey centers around one main question: “Where did you sleep the night of Jan. 25?” What follows are more questions about a person’s circumstances, like how long and how often they’ve been homeless over a period of time, as well as information about substance abuse and if they are fleeing abusive situations. 

According to Point-in-Time survey results, there were 229 domestic violence survivors experiencing homelessness in Montana.  

Ray of Hope Fundraiser Outreach Coordinator Wayne Appl said he also believes the decline could be attributed to how the survey was administered. He said Ray of Hope’s shelter can hold around 12 to 13 men and 13 to 19 women and children, which fluctuates some in the summertime but overall has remained at the same capacity.  

“The [Point-in-Time] count is constantly changing ... the more the valley grows, the more homeless people we tend to get,” Appl said. “We're lucky, we're going to be finished with our building here probably in the next month or two. So that will give us the capacity for housing another family and keeping them together.” 

Ray of Hope’s ongoing expansion will include a garage, to be used for car repairs and education, with a family apartment located above it.  

Krager also said the Samaritan House’s upcoming expansion is coming along, with a groundbreaking ceremony planned for September. The project calls for erecting new apartments for veterans and families on the property that currently is home to the nonprofit’s administrative building. 

For more information about the Point-in-Time survey, visit the Montana Continuum of Care Coalition’s website at www.mtcoc.org.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.