Regional Homelessness Continues to Increase, According to School of Social Work Annual Count

According to an annual point-in-time count led by the School of Social Work, the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Northwest Arkansas continues to rise. Across Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington Counties, 563 individuals were counted as experiencing homelessness on the night of Feb. 26, 2026. This is up from 507 who were counted a year earlier. Of these, 277 were unsheltered this year, up from 259 the year before — with the balances residing in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

The count is led by John Gallagher, an associate professor of social work, and three social work students as part of their practicum education. It is prepared for the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care, a local nonprofit that coordinates a community response to homelessness, to meet a funding requirement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Roughly 50 volunteers — including roughly 20 students from the U of A — and 30 community organizations collaborated on the count.

According to Gallagher, the 11% increase from last year continues a clear upward trend in the local homeless population. He adds, "even with small, but real increases in shelter bed capacity in the region, we continue to experience an increase in unsheltered homelessness." Noting stable methods in the annual count, he attributes this ongoing increase to "a mix of a baseline population increase and the on-going housing crisis in NWA."

Gallagher highlighted that almost 70% of respondents reported their last stable residence was in Northwest Arkansas, with another 11% reporting elsewhere in Arkansas. Gallagher noted that "there is often a narrative that unhoused individuals are 'transients' or otherwise not from here." But, he continued, "The data tells us otherwise; these people are our people, from our cities, towns and families."

While stressing that this is a regional problem requiring cooperation among all communities in Northwest Arkansas, Gallagher noted that a disproportionate percentage of the homeless community continues to reside in Washington County (63%) and Fayetteville in particular (44%).

Consistent with a national trend, our region is experiencing a stark increase in the number and percentage of older adults among the local population of unhoused individuals. This year, 146 individuals (26% of count) were aged 55 or above. In 2023, only 67 individuals (15%) of the count were identified.

For more information or to contribute to the 2027 count, contact John Gallagher at jmgallag@uark.edu or 479-575-2368. More information on the current and historical counts can be found here.