Tampa Bay's 2026 homelessness snapshot moved in different directions on either side of the Florida region.
Hillsborough County posted a modest decrease overall, while Pinellas County recorded an increase. Even so, both counties reported signs of growing strain among older residents and people staying outside.
Here's what to know
Bay News 9 reported Pinellas County counted 1,949 people experiencing homelessness, including 635 who were unsheltered, while Hillsborough County counted about 1,760, including 745 living unsheltered. The annual point-in-time count is used by local organizations to measure trends and strengthen applications for government funding.
An 18% jump in homelessness among people 65 and older stood out in Hillsborough even as the county's overall total slipped about 3%, according to Antoinette D. Hayes-Triplett, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative.
"Our focus is definitely on our senior population," Hayes-Triplett told the outlet.
Cheri Holzbacher, CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas, said providers there are observing some troubling changes.
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"What we are seeing on the ground is more families and more older people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time," she noted to Bay News 9.
She added that financial pressures and job loss remain the top reasons people say they lose their housing. Overall homelessness in Pinellas was up about 5% from 2025, and the number of unsheltered people rose 18%.
More background
The new counts arrived two years after House Bill 1365 took effect in Florida, prohibiting unauthorized camping or overnight sleeping on public land, according to Bay News 9. That change has increased the urgency for local agencies to coordinate shelter space, outreach efforts, and other options for people who had been living in encampments.
Holzbacher said encampments in Pinellas have declined significantly, but the latest report also found that more people had been homeless for years and were dealing with complex health or disability-related needs. Those cases can be far more difficult to resolve than a short-term housing crisis.
Hayes-Triplett said the region's biggest surge in homelessness during her more than 10 years with the organization came during the coronavirus pandemic.
"So the numbers are finally coming down," she commented, per Bay News 9.
What's being done?
To address the rise among older adults, the publication noted the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative has introduced a rapid-rehousing effort for seniors called "Forever Young." Hayes-Triplett also said the annual count remains crucial because agencies are required to report it to local, state, and federal funding sources.
In Pinellas, the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas rolled out a community services mobile app in 2025 powered by WellSky. It gives street outreach teams real-time access to open shelter beds and other services when they meet someone outside.
Before the camping law took effect, providers coordinated to make sure there was enough space for people to go, Holzbacher said, while supportive housing remains essential for residents with significant disabilities or health challenges.
As agencies prepare for shifting federal priorities to treatment over housing, Hayes-Triplett told Bay News 9 that Tampa Bay providers are focused on staying flexible.
"Our community has always adjusted and been flexible when we need to make significant changes," she remarked.
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