Definition: *As of 2015: percentage of all homeless persons counted for the Point In Time (PIT) report who have a disabling condition and who have been homeless for at least a continuous 12 months, or who have experienced at least four separate occasions of homelessness in the past three years, where the combined occasions total a length of time of at least 12 months, with the separating periods lasting at least 7 days

Pre-2015 definition: persons who were homeless four or more times in the past 3 years.

Source: Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness: Point in Time Homeless Census & Inventory Chart

Target: 25.74%

In 2016, 18.5% of homeless individuals counted in the Point-in-Time Homeless Census were chronically homelessness, meaning that they have been continuously homeless for at least 12 months or on three separate occasions in the past 3 years, and have a disabling condition. This figure has increased by 108% since 2011. However, it should be noted that the definition of chronic homelessness was changed in 2015 (see "About This Indicator"). In the State of Florida, 18% of homeless individuals are chronically homeless, roughly the same rate as in Sarasota County. Although the homelessness rate has decreased in both Florida and Sarasota County since 2011, the proportion of homeless people who are chronically homeless has increased significantly in Sarasota County, and stayed consistent in Florida.

Chronic homelessness is affected by the availability of permanent affordable housing as well as adequate mental and physical healthcare (see: I Homelessness Rate). Many of those who are chronically homeless either have disability income ($733 per month), or no income at all. According the 2016 Council on Homelessness Report, “For these households, there is a need for a combination of financial assistance and support systems geared toward their disability”. One study estimated that communities spend three times more per year supporting chronically homeless individuals than it would cost to provide an appropriate housing solution (The Cost of Long-Term Homelessness in Central Florida, Gregory Shinn).