Buncombe County Homeless Count Hits Record 824 People in 2026

A record 824 people were counted homeless in Buncombe County on a single February night, the highest total the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care has ever recorded in its service area and a number that is already straining local shelters, outreach teams and the agencies responsible for keeping people housed.

Of those 824, fully 334 were unsheltered, meaning they spent the count night sleeping outdoors, in a vehicle or in a location not meant for human habitation. That is more than four in 10 of everyone the count found, a proportion that concerns service providers because people living entirely outside have sharply reduced access to health care, case management and the consistent contact needed to move toward permanent housing.

The 2026 total represents roughly a 9 percent increase over the previous year's count. Local providers attributed much of that climb to the lasting fallout from Tropical Storm Helene: destroyed and damaged homes, prolonged displacement and lost income have continued pushing people into homelessness or blocking them from regaining stable housing months after the storm. Affordability pressures that predated Helene compounded the problem.

More than 100 volunteers spread across Buncombe County on the designated February count night to locate and interview people sleeping in shelters, transitional housing, vehicles and rough outdoor sites. The CoC's 2026 data overview includes breakdowns by shelter status, veterans status and households with children, giving planners a more granular read on who the count is finding and which services are most in demand.

CoC leaders and nonprofit partners used the public release to press for additional shelter beds, expanded rapid rehousing funds and broader rental assistance. Agency officials told reporters the county needs both immediate emergency shelter options and a sustained pipeline of affordable housing units to prevent further increases. The results will feed directly into HUD grant applications and determine how CoC resources are allocated in the coming fiscal year.

Officials were candid about the count's limits. A single-night snapshot can be skewed by weather, volunteer coverage and whether people choose to engage with outreach workers, meaning the actual number of people experiencing homelessness in Buncombe County is almost certainly higher than 824. The CoC tracks year-round administrative data, including shelter admissions, program exits and service records, alongside the annual count to build a more complete picture for planning purposes.

The CoC and its partner agencies said they will brief elected officials on the 2026 numbers and use them to push for expanded emergency shelter and homelessness prevention programs. For a county still absorbing the housing damage Helene left behind, the record count sets a demanding new baseline.