DES MOINES, Iowa — A point-in-time survey was done for a summer count of people experiencing homelessness in Polk County. This was conducted by Homeward, Polk County’s homelessness planning organization.

They found that on July 30, there were 768 people counted in shelters, transitional housing, safe haven, and living outdoors, a 5% increase from summer 2024 and a 1.5% decrease from winter 2025.

The PIT count also discovered 210 of those individuals were unsheltered, an 18% increase from last year. 

Youth homelessness decreased from 54 to 41, and veteran homelessness decreased from 44 to 39 in Polk County. 

Meanwhile, it’s been one year since the Des Moines city ordinance was passed to ban camping or sleeping in public areas. It was implemented in February where someone has three days to move their camp off of a public area or get a $15 fine.

“I’m not aware of anyone that’s received a citation. I think we see movements in camps and instead there’s maybe more movement of people,” Homeward Executive Director Angie Arthur said. “Sometimes it’s harder to connect with folks to be able to support them as they work towards stability and housing. I don’t know that there’s a lot we can draw from at this point … I think we do see more movement in folks that are living unsheltered. So some of the work with the folks that are doing street outreach or connecting to folks is, you know, to work to find those folks, to be able to to connect and work with them individually to determine what kind of support they might need. As we look at resources in the community, how do we better serve folks?”

So, how easy is it to get help if someone is experiencing homelessness? If someone went in right now to get assistance, would there be those resources available immediately? 

“Unfortunately, we have a wait list for the family emergency shelter, a significant number of families. It depends from a shelter perspective on a day to day basis. Sometimes it depends if you’re a male versus female, where the spots are open or if you have mobility issues, can you stay on the top bunk or not? So it’s hard to answer that as a yes or no,” she said. “But I would say that we have identified the need for more non-congregate shelter spaces for singles and for families in the gap analysis.” 

Homeward conducts a PIT count twice a year, winter and summer. The summer PIT data is collected to drive local decision-making. Homeward coordinates Polk County’s Continuum of Care federal funding each year, distributing $7 million to homeless service partners providing permanent housing, outreach and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.

Still, all the money put into fighting homelessness in Central Iowa isn’t enough to help everyone. 

“To have that optimal system to be able to have resources available when folks need them, more comparable to what the veterans system has, we currently have an annual gap of about $20 million in our community. So that’s a big number, but it helps us know where we need to invest,” Arthur said.

For the entire research report and more information, visit HomewardIowa.org.