Housing Data in the New River Valley
Each year, trained volunteers count every person experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. Here's what that data tells us — and why it matters.
Data from the annual Point-in-Time count guides funding, planning, and services across the New River Valley
The Most Recent Count
One Night in the New River Valley
On a single night, the most recent published Point-in-Time count found:
People experiencing homelessness
Households
Children under 18
People unsheltered
Figures from the most recent published Point-in-Time count for the New River Valley.
About the Data
What Is the Point-in-Time Count?
The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a one-day count of people experiencing homelessness in our community. Communities that receive HUD funding for homelessness are required to count those experiencing homelessness at certain times. Our goal is to count all people in the New River Valley who meet HUD's criteria for homelessness.
The data collected from this count is used to identify community needs and to determine the level of funding communities receive to address homelessness. It also shows which geographic areas and groups of people are most affected by housing instability.
Who is counted
- People living in an emergency shelter
- People living in transitional housing
- People sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation — a car, a tent, a bench, or under a bridge
Who is not counted
- People staying temporarily with family or friends
- People living in a motel
- People living in crowded or substandard housing
Historical Trends
Counts Over the Years
Total people and households counted in each year's Point-in-Time survey. Earlier surveys recorded households only.
Sheltered vs. Unsheltered
Where People Were Sleeping
The share of people counted who were unsheltered — sleeping outside or in places not meant for human habitation — in each year's count.
Source: NRV Housing Partnership Point-in-Time count surveys, 2013–2020. Numbers are updated as new counts are published.
Behind the Numbers
Who Experiences Homelessness Here?
The count is more than a headcount — each survey gathers details about the people behind the numbers. Findings below are from the most recent detailed survey.
Domestic Violence
The most commonly cited primary cause of homelessness — and the leading cause in nearly every survey year.
Homeless for the first time
Nearly half of the households counted were experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives.
Reported a mental illness
Householders who reported a mental illness; another 16% reported alcohol or substance abuse.
Single individuals
Most households counted were individuals on their own; another 30% were single-parent families.
Veterans
Householders who had served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Homeless one to three months
The most common length of time households had been homeless at the time of the count.
The Federal Framework
How HUD Standardizes the Count
The Point-in-Time count isn't a local invention — it's a federal requirement. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires every community that receives federal homeless-assistance funding to conduct the count, and HUD sets the rules for how it must be performed.
Our local housing personnel follow HUD's strict policies and procedures at every step: when the count happens, who qualifies as homeless, how survey questions are worded, and how the data is analyzed and reported afterward. Because the same standards apply in every community across the country, results can be fairly compared and combined nationwide.
When it happens
HUD requires every Continuum of Care to count sheltered people annually and unsheltered people at least every other year, during the last ten days of January.
How it's done
Local teams follow HUD's published methodology standards — trained volunteers, standardized survey questions, and strict rules about who can be counted as homeless.
Where the data goes
Results are reported to HUD and combined with every U.S. community's data in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, which helps determine federal funding.
Need immediate housing help?
Our 24/7 intake line is always available.