APRIL 28, 2023:
South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium (SDHHC), an affiliate of South Dakota Housing (SDHDA), conducted its annual Point-In-Time and Housing Inventory Count (PIT-HIC) this past January (January 24, 2023). The Count is a census and estimate of all households experiencing homelessness in South Dakota. The 2023 Count revealed that 1,282 individuals were experiencing homelessness in South Dakota on that night.
Local organizations with the assistance of volunteers carried out count activities on the local level. SDHDA, as the lead agency for the SDHHC, collected and finalized this data in order to complete the mandatory submission to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
The PIT-HIC is part of the ongoing systems management that SDHHC completes to track statewide progress towards addressing homelessness. PIT-HIC data is key to future funding formulas and informs the decision-making process of resource allocation and program management.
While the final number of the 2023 Count is lower than 2022, this does not necessarily represent an overall decrease in the number of South Dakotans experiencing homelessness. The 2023 Count was not able to receive data from key communities and programs that are not mandated to report. Programs and regions with consistent PIT-HIC submissions show an overall increase in the number of households experiencing homelessness.
Of the 1,282 homeless individuals counted:
- 1,282 persons were counted compared to 1,389 in 2022, a decrease of 8 percent;
- 76 percent were adults over the age of 24, 16 percent were children under 18, and 8 percent were young adults 18 to 24 years of age;
- 73 percent of those surveyed were sheltered on the night of the count and 27 percent of those surveyed were unsheltered on the night of the count;
Additional information and numbers specific for Sioux Falls and Rapid City can be found at housingforthehomeless.org.
Homelessness is defined by HUD as anyone who is:
- Living in an emergency shelter, domestic violence shelter, or in a transitional housing program dedicated to homeless households; or
- Living in a motel/hotel that is being paid for by a governmental entity including Tribes, or charitable organization assisting homeless; or
- Sleeping outside, in cars, vans, tents, or in public or private places not meant for human habitation such as a park toilet; or
- Sleeping situations in homes, buildings, RVs, or campers without one or more of these items: heat, functioning toilet, place for bathing, place for preparing food, working connection for water or sewer, or electricity are places not meant for human habitation.
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JANUARY 24, 2023:
The South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium, an affiliate of South Dakota Housing Development Authority, will conduct its annual statewide Point-In-Time (PIT) homeless count today (Jan. 24, 2023).
To be effective, SDHHC divides the state into six count areas. There are coordinators in each area who will be working with agencies and volunteers to conduct the PIT count.
The Point-In-Time homeless count is an important source of annual data, providing characteristics of people who are experiencing homelessness. Data from the annual PIT homeless count is used to measure homelessness on local, state, and national levels. PIT count data helps policy makers and communities measure progress, identify strengths and gaps in services, increases public awareness of homelessness, and enhances system planning and responses. The PIT count is not a perfect instrument but it is the primary tool for showing unmet needs in South Dakota communities.
If you have been involved with the count in the past, or would like to be involved, please contact the individuals in your area for more information on training and organization plans.
- Rapid City & Region 1; Bennet, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Jackson, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Ziebach, Oglala Lakota counties; Amy Richie – amy.richie@voanr.org. Volunteers of America-Northern Rockies (VOA-NR), 605-341-8336
- Region 2; Beadle, Brown, Campbell, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Marshall, McPherson, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Walworth; Contact: Yvette Heesch – yvette@growsd.org. Grow South Dakota, 605-698-7654
- Region 3; Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Lyman, Mellette, Sanborn, Todd, Tripp, Union, Yankton, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Jones counties; Angela Waldner – awaldner@rocsinc.org. Rural Office Community Services, (ROCS), 605-487-7634
- Region 4; Minnehaha, Grant, Deuel, Codington, Hamlin, Clark, Kingsbury, Brookings, Miner, Lake, Lincoln, Moody, McCook, Turner counties. Wendy Barrett – wbarrett@interlakescap.com. Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership (ICAP), or 605-692-6391 ext. 28
- City of Sioux Falls; Suzy Smith – suzanne.smith@augie.edu. Augustana Research Institute, 605-274-5010
- Veterans Affairs (VA) staff will collect information for VA programs.
- West River: Andrew Havens andrew.havens@va.gov. 605-490-2794
- East River: Kristy Anderson kristy.anderson438@va.gov. 605-336-3230 ext. 6938.
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