The 2026 Point-in-Time Count results are IN
During the final week of January 2026, more than 300 volunteers joined us for the annual Point-in-Time Count — our “census” of Central Floridians who are homeless. The count takes place in communities across the nation at least once every two years, and the data is critical to understanding the scope and trends of homelessness. Most importantly, it helps to guide our local leaders as they make policy and funding decisions.
In 2026, The overall result was a total count of 2,724 people in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, including those who were in emergency homeless shelters and those living without shelter. All told, that was just two people less than 2025. While we can attribute some of the findings to our region’s success in getting people back into housing, and while the PIT data is always considered an undercount, we suspect that was especially true in 2026.
Still, we found some important trends:
More than 40% of Central Florida's homeless population are now children or people age 55 and older.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Orange County — 1,979 — increased by 3% compared to the previous year. Seminole’s 363 total was a 17% decrease since 2025, and Osceola County’s 382 total was up by 2% over last year.
Of the total, 993 people were found to be living on the streets, in the woods or in their cars in January, a decrease of 97 people since 2025. That included 667 in Orange, 137 in Seminole and 189 in Osceola.
The 2026 total was still 26.6% higher than the total just three years ago.
