About 22 people were found living without shelter in Alpharetta on a single night in January, the third-largest concentration of unsheltered homelessness in Fulton County outside Atlanta.

The figures come from Fulton County's 2026 Point-in-Time Count, a federally required one-night survey conducted Jan. 22. The county's report, released Aug. 6, found 323 people experiencing homelessness across Fulton County outside Atlanta, up 34% from 241 in 2025.

The increase reverses most of the prior year's drop. The 2025 count itself had fallen 28.9% from 2024, a decline county officials attributed to severe weather and operational undercounting, according to Hoodline.

East Point led the unsheltered count at 21.9%. Roswell had the second-highest share at 20.5%, or roughly 30 people. Alpharetta followed at 15.1%. Together, those three cities accounted for 57.5% of all unsheltered individuals counted. Milton and Johns Creek were not identified among the leading locations in the county's published summary.

Less visible, still present

In North Fulton, people without stable housing may be living in vehicles, wooded areas or extended-stay properties rather than in the kind of downtown encampments that draw public attention, North Atlanta Star reported. Some continue working, attending school or caring for children while moving between temporary arrangements.

Commissioner Bob Ellis, whose district includes part of North Fulton, described that population on X as "employed people living in their vehicles while trying to hold onto jobs and keep their kids in school."

The count is a minimum estimate. People staying temporarily with relatives, moving between friends' homes or paying for a motel room without assistance may not meet the survey's definition of homelessness.

Fewer beds as need grows

The county reported an 8.7% decline in its housing inventory, driven largely by reduced rapid-rehousing capacity. Fewer placements are available even as the number of people counted rose sharply. Adult-only households made up 85.9% of all households identified.

Stan Wilson, director of Fulton County's Department of Community Development, said the data will guide the county's planning on outreach, shelter capacity and housing programs.

Funding window has closed

Ellis said on X on June 29 that the county was accepting applications for federal funding to help nonprofits assist individuals and families with rent, eviction prevention and housing. That funding round, announced by the county, totaled $2,344,029 in HOME American Rescue Plan money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Proposals were due by 11 a.m. July 23. The application window has closed.

The county's report does not explain why Alpharetta and Roswell account for such a large share of the unsheltered count, how long those individuals had been homeless, how many were employed or how many first lost housing in North Fulton versus arriving from elsewhere. No response from the City of Alpharetta to the findings has been published.

What's ahead

The next North Fulton Point-in-Time Count is set for Jan. 26, 2027. The county says additional information about volunteer participation will be released later this year.