Definition: Rate of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons per 100,000 population on a single night in January. Population estimates for rate calculation were acquired from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Source: Council on Homelessness, Point-In-Time Count, Department of Children and Families, Office on Homelessness

2025 Target: 207.14 per 100,000 population

Below is a comparison of the value for this indicator among seven coastal counties: Charlotte, Sarasota, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas. These counties have been recommended as comparable counties by Sarasota County Government.

Homelessness Rate per 100,000 Population (2016)

In 2016, approximately 243 people out of every 100,000 people in the Sarasota County population were homeless. The Homelessness Rate in Sarasota County increased 53% from 2009 to 2013. From 2013 to 2016, there has been a 24% decrease. Until 2013, the homelessness rate in Sarasota County had been consistently lower that Florida's. However, from 2013 to 2015 Sarasota County has had a higher homelessness rate than Florida, with a difference of about 77 homeless people per 100,000 people in the population in 2016.

According to The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the leading causes of homelessness are divided into three major categories: lack of affordable housing, lack of adequate income, and lack of needed services and treatment. Sarasota County has an affordable housing stock of 17 units per 100 extremely low income (ELI) households, and Manatee County has a stock of 11 units per 100 ELI households. That leaves a total gap of 13,348 affordable housing units for extremely low income households across the Sarasota-Manatee-Bradenton region (Urban Institute, 2014). According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Housing Conference, nine out of the ten of the most common occupations in North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area pay less income then what is necessary to afford rent for a two bedroom apartment.

In a cost analysis study conducted by Creative Housing Solutions in the Suncoast Region, it was determined that the avoided costs of supporting the homeless population, in addition to the economic activity created by eliminating homelessness, would add up to an estimated $82 million dollars regionally. The current cost of supporting a homeless person, taking into account behavioral health, emergency room visits, incarceration etc., amounts to an estimated $15,761 per person. In comparison, the cost of providing housing and services to homeless individuals amounts to an estimated $9,515 per person, a savings of $6,249 per person. These are estimates for those in need of permanent supportive housing. For those that would benefit from rapid rehousing, the estimated cost is $2,500 per household nationally. This would result in savings of $13,261 per person per year.