A count of homeless individuals in the 11-county area centered on Chattanooga found a total of 1,092 persons experiencing homelessness.
Of those, 656 were unsheltered and 436 were sheltered.
The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition released the results of the 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count following the official data submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Officials said, "Hosted by the CRHC in compliance with HUD requirements, the PIT Count was conducted on the night of January 22 and provides a snapshot of individuals experiencing homelessness across the 11-county Chattanooga/Southeast Tennessee Continuum of Care (CoC). While the count helps guide resource allocation and is required for all CoCs receiving HUD funding, the data reflects just one part of the broader picture of homelessness in the region."
“While the PIT Count only reflects a single night, it yields essential data that drives federal funding decisions and informs local strategies to address homelessness,” said Mackenzie Kelly, executive director of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. “Beyond data collection, the count creates a hands-on opportunity for volunteers and new partners to engage directly in our region’s homeless response, and we’re grateful to all of our partners and community stakeholders who contributed. Every survey collected strengthens our ability to coordinate efforts and advance lasting solutions.”
PIT Count Methodology and Implementation:
The 2025 PIT Count used three pathways for data collection:
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Observational: For individuals who were suspected to be experiencing homelessness, but could not be directly surveyed (due to declining to participate, sleeping, or being unreachable);
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Standard Survey: The default survey consisting of essential questions mandated by HUD;
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Universal Housing Assessment Survey: A survey serving as enrollment into the CoC’s Coordinated Entry System, ultimately linking participants to housing services.
CRHC involved a large coalition of service providers from across the 11-county CoC to develop locally specific counts. Counts were conducted as follows:
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Brick and mortar locations, where persons were likely to be present and could participate;
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Outreach to know encampment locations;
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“Search party” style coverage;
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Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data collected by HMIS-participating shelters.