FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A preliminary report of Cumberland County’s homeless population taken during the annual Point in Time count is now available. Cumberland County Community Development, partner agencies and volunteers conducted the Point in Time count Jan. 26 – 27.
The 2022 PIT was conducted by a total of 68 volunteers from Community Development and partner agencies. The volunteers included 19 Cumberland County employees. Donated items such as gloves, knitted hats, and hygiene kits were distributed to members of the homeless population during the count.
See the preliminary report on the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Continuum of Care on Homelessness website at fayettevillecumberlandcountycoc.org. This final report, which will be submitted to the federal agency Housing and Urban Development, will be available on Cumberland County Community Development’s website at a later date.
2022 PIT Count
Unsheltered homeless 392
Sheltered homeless 43
Transitional housing 40
Total 475
The PIT count is held annually in January and creates a census of the homeless population during a 24-hour. It is designed to be a snapshot of both the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population in a particular area and should not be considered an exact count of homeless individuals.
Cumberland County Community Development is the lead agency responsible for the census of the homeless population. Partner agencies included the City of Fayetteville Economic and Community Development and the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Continuum of Care on Homelessness. Some of the organizations which assisted Community Development’s efforts to make a difference are listed below. A detailed list of all the agencies, partners, organizations and companies will be listed on the CoC website with the final PIT Count results.
- Cumberland County Communicare, Inc.
- Cumberland County Schools
- Cumberland HealtNET
- Cumberland Interfaith Hospitality Network
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Endeavors
- Fayetteville Urban Ministry
- Fort Bragg Army Community Services
- Local Churches
- Manna Church Hope Center
- OperationInAsMuch
- Salvation Army
- Sanhills Vax of CHN
- Veterans Administration
A total of 54 homeless individuals were counted in 2021, when the PIT was restricted only to emergency shelters due to COVID-19.
The 2020 PIT counted a total homeless population of 297 with 165 unsheltered homeless individuals, 38 in emergency shelters and 94 in transitional housing.
Unsheltered – The unsheltered homeless are those who are living in conditions that are uninhabitable for humans such as vehicles, under bridges, doorways, abandoned houses/buildings, parks and cemeteries.
Sheltered – The sheltered homeless are those who are in facilities such as emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, motels and hotels paid by vouchers and charitable organizations and those in transitional housing units.
Transitional – Supportive housing used to facilitate the movement of homeless individuals and families to permanent housing. It is housing in which homeless persons may live up to 24 months and receive supportive services.
Only those persons meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definitions of homelessness are counted. Data gathered during the count will be compiled for annual report to provide the community with vital information regarding the characteristics of the homeless population in Cumberland County. The count records demographics including race, gender, age and factors including mental illness, substance abuse and disability.
The Cumberland County Community Development office is located at 707 Executive Place, Fayetteville. For more information, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/community-development-group or call (910) 323-6112.