NASHVILLE, TN — The Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County Office of Homeless Services today released the certified results of the 2026 Point-in-Time Count, identifying 2,298 people (655 of 2,298 people unsheltered) experiencing literal homelessness on the night of Jan. 22, 2026.
The annual count increased by 118 people, or 5.4 percent, from the 2025 Point-in-Time Count. A requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the count is one of the nation’s primary tools for understanding homelessness at the local level and helps communities identify needs, monitor trends and inform decisions about housing, outreach, emergency shelter and supportive services.
More than 100 volunteers worked overnight alongside outreach teams, emergency shelter providers, health care partners, veterans’ organizations, nonprofit agencies and Metro staff to conduct this year’s count. Temperatures were already dangerously low on the night of the count, prompting Metro to activate its Cold Weather Plan and open the Metro Emergency Overflow Shelter. The count also occurred several days before the onset of Nashville’s most severe winter ice storm in decades. Volunteers used their interactions to share shelter information and help people prepare for worsening conditions. OHS continued coordinating with the Office of Emergency Management, Metro departments and community partners to help people get indoors and remain safe.
Nashville’s PIT Count has fluctuated within a comparatively narrow range as homelessness increased substantially across the country and in similarly sized communities. During the common 2022-2025 comparison period, Nashville’s count increased 13.8 percent, compared with a 28 percent national increase and a 36.1 percent average increase among the selected comparison communities. National and comparison-community data for 2026 have not yet been released. Nashville’s certified 2026 count was 2,298, a 5.4 percent increase from 2025.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell had this to say: The Point-in-Time Count provides an important snapshot of homelessness in Nashville and helps us better understand where needs exist across our community. Behind every number is a person, and every person deserves the opportunity to access safe, stable housing. I’m grateful to the volunteers, providers, health care partners and Metro staff who came together to make this year’s count possible. Their work helps us plan responsibly, make informed decisions and continue strengthening Nashville’s response to homelessness.
Communities across the country conduct the count during the same period each January. Because the methodology remains consistent from year to year, the PIT Count provides an important benchmark for understanding trends over time.
The count includes people staying in emergency shelters, HUD-eligible transitional housing, people sleeping outdoors, or in places not meant for human habitation. It is not a census of everyone who experiences homelessness during the year. It does not include many individuals and families experiencing other forms of housing instability, such as people temporarily staying with friends or relatives or living in hotels or motels because of economic hardship.
This year’s results reflect the conditions present on the night of the count and several operational improvements that helped identify people experiencing homelessness more completely. Metro’s Cold Weather Plan and Emergency Overflow Shelter allowed more people to safely access emergency shelter that night.
Community partners expanded overnight outreach initiatives to engage individuals experiencing homelessness in every emergency department in Davidson County. Health-focused outreach workers visited each emergency department twice during the overnight count to identify individuals who had not been admitted to the hospital but met HUD’s eligibility requirements for inclusion in the Point-in-Time Count. The count also included additional emergency shelter capacity by providers. These new partnerships expanded the community’s ability to identify people experiencing homelessness in locations that had not previously been incorporated into the overnight count, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate snapshot of homelessness across Nashville.
