Homelessness on the Treasure Coast has increased slightly this year since last year, according to the latest estimate.
There were 574 people counted as experiencing homelessness in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, up 9% since last year, according to the nonprofit Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council that oversees the annual count.
The number of people experiencing homelessness varied by county:
This year’s uptick came after homelessness dropped by 19% from 2024-25, going from 701 to 569 individuals either sleeping outside or in shelters.
HUD withheld money, nonprofit spent reserves
The national point-in-time count on Jan. 29 is a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single day each year.
“Those numbers don’t reflect the number of people we serve all year round on the Treasure Coast,” said Rayme Nuckles, CEO of the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council.
As mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, volunteers and social workers around the country search bus stops, under bridges and deep into the woods to tally up their homeless to determine the amount of funding they receive.
The count is imperfect, but nonetheless useful, Nuckles said. It’s not always easy to count people who may not want to be found, and homelessness fluctuates greatly throughout the year, he said.
The count also does not include certain people experiencing homelessness, such as those who live with extended family, often called “couch surfers.”
A more comprehensive report will be released within a month that includes data from the school districts, Nuckles said.
Homelessness increases nationwide
Homelessness is rising nationwide, and one of the main reasons is a shortage of over 7.2 million affordable housing units. These are units where occupants pay no more than 30% of their income on housing costs, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Another is that wages are not keeping up with the rising cost of living. Florida’s average rent climbed from $1,194 in 2015 to $2,208 in 2025, an 85% increase over the decade. Average wages have increased only 58% in the same time, Bureau of Labor Statistics show.
The problem has been exacerbated by federal cuts to housing, nutrition and health care programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Nuckles said.
For example, HUD did not provide funding in October that Homeless Services expected to receive to pay landlords who house formerly homeless people. The nonprofit was forced to spend $500,000 of its reserves after it did not hear any status update from HUD.
“This was one of the hardest years for us,” Nuckles said. “Federal funding has been a major issue.”
Treasure Coast leaders addressing homelessness
These numbers were announced at the annual “In His Shoes Awards” hosted at hosted at the Community Church of Vero Beach on April 16.
The award is a commemoration of the late Walter Washington Jr., a local advocate who helped those experiencing homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.
Washington was known for wearing a different pair of “extremely large” tennis shoes to work each day, which is why the In His Shoes attendees were encouraged to don their “nicest, craziest, wackiest, or most coveted pair of shoes in honor of Walter Washington.”
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Event planners expected 200 people, but over 240 showed up from all sectors involving homelessness, such as charitable health care clinics, substance abuse centers and elderly care nonprofits.
Speakers included Jesse León, a TEDx speaker and author of “I’m Not Broken,” a memoir of his time clawing his way out of homelessness and human trafficking to become a homeless advocate.
The winner of the highest prize — a bronze pair of sneakers mounted on a lacquered wood base — was Gary Blackmon, a case worker and the volunteer coordinator for The Salvation Army Martin County.
“It’s an amazing thing because I knew Walter, and I can’t even begin to compare myself to him,” Blackmon told TCPalm. “He would be amazed to see how big a crowd we had today and humbled to be mentioned this way.”
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida homelessness up slightly since 2025 on Treasure Coast
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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