According to Homelessness is a Housing Problem, which we can't recommend highly enough, the reason some cities have more homelessness than others isn't about individual vulnerabilities. Cities with higher levels of homelessness don't generally have higher rates of drug use or mental illness, and most communities with higher poverty rates actually have lower levels of homelessness. Instead, when comparing one city to another, the root causes of homelessness almost always come down to housing. In particular, as a rule, U.S. cities are more likely to have high rates of homelessness when their inhabitants face two things: higher rent and fewer available rentals.
We look at those factors here. Median rent compares monthly rental costs between Knoxville, Tennessee, and the United States. Likewise, occupancy rates highlight how “tight” the Knoxville market is compared with state and national trends: the higher the rate, the fewer rental units are available to those in search of housing. It's a salient fact: Knoxville saw the greatest rent growth in the country in 2022.
As we speak, the City of Knoxville and Knox County, along with local nonprofits and private developers, are actively working to increase housing stock in our community. In our view, such developments can't come soon enough. We at KnoxHMIS humbly ask all Knox readers to remember this urgent need for affordable housing – and for all types of housing – when new development is considered in your own neighborhoods. We'll vow to do the same.
NOTE: If you're pressed for time, this 15-minute talk offers a good summary of the themes in the book mentioned above. And please stay tuned for far more thorough and compelling housing data through the City of Knoxville's forthcoming Evictions Dashboard. We'll share a link here when that's live. Many thanks to Carter Hall at the City and Hancen Sale at East Tennessee Realtors for their insights on housing data.
Median Knox County rent has risen faster than comparable cities since 2020
Median Rent
The occupancy rate for Knox County housing has dropped since its peak in 2021, but remains above the national median.
Occupancy Rate
System Performance Measures
Key Performance Indicators
Each year, communities across the country use HMIS data to assess the status of homelessness and homeless services through a set of key measures known as System Performance Measures. Here we track six. Click any measure below to see trends over time.
Median Time Homeless
First Time Homeless
Successful Exits
Median Shelter Stay (ES/TH)
Returns to Homelessness
Permanent Housing Retention
SPM Summary Text
LENGTH OF TIME HOMELESS
Time Homeless reflects how long individuals in Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, or Rapid Rehousing programs have been homeless by measuring the median time elapsed since their first day of homelessness, per their self-report. In this way we combine time not only in shelter but also time in unsheltered situations such as encampments, under bridges, or in cars.
Precipitating Events: What Led to Your Homelessness
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Annual
Counts (All)
HOVER over donut
chart to see how often each cause is reported.
Quarterly Counts (All)
Click causes to select/deselect
Characteristics
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Average Count (All)
Each day on average,
were being served during the quarter.
*Includes housed, at risk, and homeless
New/Returning (All)
Race (All)
Ethnicity (All)
Averages Trends (All)
Housing Status (All)
Gender (All)
Age (All)
DV (All)
YesNo
Men
Women
*Count of gender nonbinary individuals too small for analysis
Disability (All)
% Clients Enrolled (All)
Days Enrolled (All)
System Inflow/Outflow
For every people who became homeless,
exited the system housed.
For every people leaving the system in
, roughly
remained.
Population
Housing Status at System Exit
Annual Report
KnoxHMIS provides an annual report detailing the state of homelessness in the
community. Reports are available to download by following the link below.
One of the easiest ways to find out more about services for someone
experiencing homelessness is by dialing 211, Tennessee’s community services help line.
KnoxHMIS provides reports on unique subpopulations experiencing homelessness.
These reports provide specific information not included in this dashboard.
If you have questions or comments concerning this dashboard or homelessness
in Knoxville, please contact Mike Dunthorn: mdunthorn@knoxvilletn.gov
Homeless Daily Average
This is an approximate DAILY AVERAGE count of individuals staying in shelters, transitional housing, or places
not meant for habitation. In keeping with HUD guidelines, this count does not include individuals who are
“doubled up” or “couch surfing” temporarily with extended family or friends.
Stably Housed Daily Average
This is an approximate DAILY AVERAGE count of individuals with prior experiences of homelessness now permanently
housed with temporary or long-term supports as needed for housing stability.
At Risk Daily Average
This is an approximate DAILY AVERAGE count of precariously housed clients receiving supports to prevent
homelessness before it starts.
Unknown Daily Average
Beginning Q1 2023, KnoxHMIS is reclassifying a certain subset of homeless service recipients from "Homeless"
and "At Risk" to "Unknown (meals/services only)."
This group typically represents about 10-15% of all clients served by KnoxHMIS partners. Most clients in this
category received meals or basic needs services targeting homeless or housing precarious populations by one or
more partner agency, but homelessness was not required for eligibility and their housing status was not
explicitly defined in an ongoing way. In the past, we made assumptions based on clients’ reported housing
situation at the beginning of project enrollments, when that was known. Given the fluid nature of housing
instability, however, we feel that “unknown” is a more transparent, if less gratifying, designation. No doubt
some remained homeless or in unstable housing throughout the report. Others, still, were likely experiencing
“episodic homelessness,” meaning that even within the reporting period their status may have fluctuated between
unsheltered, institutional, and/or “doubled up” housing situations.
Chronic Homeless
Persons with disabling conditions who experienced homelessness for a total of at least 12 months within the
prior three years.
Household Size
This chart counts program enrollments - not clients -- by household size. One individual may have been enrolled
in multiple programs within the reporting period, and may have been enrolled individually in one program and
with a family in another. All such enrollments are counted here.
Stayers/Leavers
This chart reports the final exit destinations of individuals no long enrolled in any KnoxHMIS-affiliated
program at the end of the reporting period (quarter or year).
Inflow/Outflow
This System Inflow-Outflow chart tracks those entering the KnoxHMIS system experiencing homelessness for the
first time, as well as those leaving the KnoxHMIS system permanently housed.
NOTE: These totals include individuals in Night-by-Night (NbN) shelter. NbN shelters offer emergency shelter to
individuals on a nightly basis, allowing clients to come and go as needed. Given the high volumes of those
served, NbN shelters, in contrast to other Emergency Shelter programs, typically do not track exit outcomes.
Thus, while including clients enrolled in NbN shelter more accurately represents the volume and flow of clients
through the Knox homeless service system, this may underrepresent the true rate of exits to permanent housing,
since anyone finding housing on their own is not included in the total. Under "Housing Status at System Exit,"
those exiting from NbN shelter are included in the "Unknown" count.
Families
In 2022, KnoxHMIS adjusted its methodology for counting families to more closely align with the method currently
used by HUD. In prior years, families were counted if any single member of of a household with children sought
services within the reporting period. The HUD methodology, in contrast, only counts families if at least one
adult *and* at least one child received services together. We believe this transition better reflects family
counts, serves as a better guide for strategic planning, and serves for cleaner comparisons with national
trends.
Last Known Permanent Address
Hit play/pause (top right of map) to control the slides, zoom in and out using the “+/-” in the top left, and
click on the map for more information by zip code. Map shows last zip codes in which clients were housed before
entering homelessness, delimited to those receiving homeless services for the first time.
