LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – The annual census of how many people in Ingham County are homeless took place in the last 10 days of January.
While the final count isn’t in, an unofficial tally from one organization shows a dramatic jump in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
In 2023, the official count for the entire county and all participating agencies was 111 people experiencing homelessness. The unofficial count from the Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness , or PATH, was 232 people.
“We have a by-names list which is current contracts, within the last 90 days, that we have proof of homelessness,” says Leesa Leyrer, PATH outreach coordinator. PATH is run by Housing Services of Mid-Michigan. “Whether it be in a shelter, abandoned cars, buildings – that type of thing – there 232 of those people.”
She says complicating the count is when federal rules require it to be conducted – at the end of January, the depth of winter with freezing temperatures and flooding.