Homelessness In Sioux Falls Down For The First Time In Years

The number of homeless people has dropped in Sioux Falls for the first time in five years.

A total of 605 individuals were recorded in South Dakota's largest city during the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) count. The count identified 562 people in sheltered settings and 43 individuals living unsheltered within city limits. The 2026 numbers reflect a little more than a three percent decrease from the 2025 count, which documented 625 people experiencing homelessness, including 565 sheltered and 60 unsheltered.

PIT totals have remained stable since 2024, notable given the city’s continued population growth during the same period. Sheltered counts rose from 387 people in 2022 to 465 in 2023 and 573 in 2024, before dropping slightly to 565 in 2025. Unsheltered numbers also fluctuated, beginning at 20 people in 2022, rising to 25 in 2023, 37 in 2024, and 60 in 2025, before decreasing to 43 in 2026.

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Of the 605 individuals counted in the 2026 PIT count, 156 were adults ages 35 to 44, while 131 were adults ages 45 to 54. Children younger than 18 accounted for 90 of those counted. The count also identified 27 veterans experiencing homelessness.

This year’s PIT count found that 113 individuals were identified with a substance use disorder. A total of 108 adults were counted as survivors of domestic violence, while 93 adults were reported as having a serious mental illness.

Organizations that took part in the 2026 PIT count were the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, St. Francis House, Union Gospel Mission, Minnehaha County Human Services, Shelter for Family Safety, Call to Freedom, Volunteers of America, Southeastern Directions for Life, and the Veterans Community Project.

The PIT count is an annual survey of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness conducted on a single night during the last 10 days of January. Federal guidelines require all CoC programs to collect PIT count data in late January, ensuring a consistent, nationally comparable snapshot of homelessness. The timing also aligns with a point in the month when many people have exhausted public benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Social Security, making it more likely that those experiencing homelessness will be visible and counted accurately.

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