Nashville’s Homelessness Count Rose Year Over Year in 2025, Highlighting Shelter and Data Challenges

Point-in-time count shows higher “literal homelessness” in Davidson County

Nashville recorded a year-over-year increase in the number of people experiencing “literal homelessness,” based on the community’s federally required Point-in-Time (PIT) Count conducted in late January 2025. The count tallied 2,180 people experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 23, 2025, up from 2,094 counted in late January 2024.

The PIT Count is a one-night snapshot required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities that receive Continuum of Care funding. In Nashville, it captures both people staying in emergency shelter and those observed sleeping outdoors or in vehicles. City officials have emphasized that the figure is a single-night measure and may not reflect the full scale of housing instability across a year.

Cold-weather operations shaped the 2025 shelter count

The 2025 count occurred during freezing conditions that triggered Nashville’s cold weather plan and the opening of a Metro Emergency Overflow Shelter. That operational context matters because PIT totals include sheltered residents, and cold-weather capacity can shift where people sleep on the count night—potentially increasing the number captured in shelters compared with milder nights.

More than 100 volunteers and dozens of organizations participated in the overnight canvass and shelter tally. Unsheltered teams surveyed and identified individuals in places not meant for habitation, while emergency shelters reported the number of people staying in beds designated for those experiencing homelessness.

What the 2025 results say about who is being counted

Beyond the overall increase, the 2025 count reported demographic and vulnerability indicators for the population encountered, including:

• Most adults counted were men.
• A large share of adults counted were Black or African American.
• Among unsheltered respondents, many reported having a disability, and a substantial portion met the definition of chronic homelessness.
• Among unsheltered respondents, reported mental health needs remained a significant factor.

These figures reflect those reached and documented during the canvass and shelter reporting process, not a complete census of all forms of homelessness recognized under other federal definitions. For example, the PIT framework differs from education-focused definitions that can include families “doubled up” with others or staying in motels without vouchers due to economic hardship.

Housing capacity, services, and funding context

In July 2024, Nashville opened Strobel House, the city’s first permanent supportive housing facility, with 90 homes and on-site supportive services. Permanent supportive housing typically pairs long-term housing with services such as behavioral health support, addiction treatment, and case management.

Separately, Nashville’s Continuum of Care award for federal homelessness funding increased for FY 2024, reflecting higher federal support levels compared with the prior year. Local officials have linked the PIT Count and related data reporting to planning and resource allocation decisions, while noting ongoing work to improve data integration and better establish a baseline for trends over time.

The PIT Count is designed to measure homelessness on a single night; changes from year to year can reflect both underlying housing pressures and the conditions and capacity of the response system on the night the count is conducted.