TAMPA, Fla. — New point-in-time homelessness counts show hundreds of people are still living unsheltered across Tampa Bay, with Hillsborough County reporting a slight overall decline and Pinellas County reporting an increase in people living outside.
The 2026 point-in-time count found about 1,760 people experiencing homelessness in Hillsborough County, including 745 who were unsheltered.
Antoinette D. Hayes-Triplett, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, said the county’s overall count decreased by about 3%. “Our count had a slight decrease, probably about 3%, so not much of a change there,” Hayes-Triplett said. “Our focus is definitely on our senior population.”
While Hillsborough’s overall number continued to fall, homelessness among people 65 and older increased 18%, according to the count.
“The pandemic had our largest increase of homelessness since I’ve been here over the last 10, 12 years around the pandemic,” Hayes-Triplett said. “So the numbers are finally coming down.”
The Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative is launching a program called “Forever Young” aimed at rapidly rehousing seniors. Hayes-Triplett said the annual count also helps local agencies identify trends and compete for funding.
“It’s essential,” she said. “We have to report that to our funding agencies, the local, state and federal government.”
In Pinellas County, the 2026 count found 1,949 people experiencing homelessness, up about 5% from last year. Of those, 635 were unsheltered, an 18% increase in the unsheltered population.
Cheri Holzbacher, CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas, said the county is seeing more families and older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time.
“What we are seeing on the ground is more families and more older people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time,” Holzbacher said.
She said financial pressures and job loss remain the top reasons people report losing their housing. “My hope is that we can change the myth and stigma,” Holzbacher said.
The new numbers come two years after House Bill 1365 took effect, prohibiting unauthorized camping or sleeping on public property.
Last year, the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas launched a community services mobile app powered by WellSky, allowing street outreach teams to check for available shelter beds and connect people to services in real time.
“Everyone who had an interest came together before the law went into effect,” Holzbacher said. “And one of the things we wanted to make sure was that do we have enough space for people to go.”
Holzbacher said encampments have declined significantly, but the latest report also found a growing share of people experiencing homelessness for years, including people with complex health and disability needs. She said housing-first programs have long included supportive and treatment services.
“It keeps people out of hospitals, long term, jail, keeps people off streets and for people who have those significant disabilities — supportive housing is absolutely necessary,” Holzbacher said.
In Hillsborough County, Hayes-Triplett said providers are preparing for changes in federal homelessness policy and funding priorities, including a shift away from housing first to treatment first.
“That’ll be an adjustment for the community, not just our community, but across the country to make those adjustments,” Hayes-Triplett said. “But our community has always adjusted and been flexible when we need to make significant changes.”
She said the goal remains moving people off the street and into stable housing.