729 people in Polk County experienced homelessness in July, a 15% rise over last summer

Results from the latest summer point-in-time count show 729 people were experiencing homelessness in Polk County on a single night in July, a 15% increase over last summer's count.

The figure presented this week at a Homeless Coordinating Council meeting comes amid consideration of a controversial Des Moines city ordinance that seeks to ban camping in public places, give people less time to remove their belongings from encampments and impose violation fines. The Des Moines City Council is expected to vote on the final measure Sept. 16.

Here's what you need to know about the recent count's results:

More: 'I'm scared every time I lay down': Homeless Iowans fear Des Moines' proposed camping ban

When was the homeless count held?

Housing agency leaders held Polk County's second point-in-time count of the year from noon July 31 to noon Aug. 1. The count is typically held twice a year, with the first in January as part of a federal requirement, and serves as a way for communities to learn about their housing program and resource needs.

Is homelessness up in Polk County?

Housing leaders say this summer's total of 729 shows a significant increase from last July's reported 633.

The newest number also is slightly higher than January's 715 . The winter count was a record high for that time period.

Where do the homeless people surveyed come from?

Of 114 respondents surveyed, 78% said their last permanent address was in Polk County. About 17% said they lived in another part of Iowa, while the remaining 5% were from out of state.

The people who last lived in Polk County were mostly from these ZIP codes: 50317, 50309, 50314, 50310, 50313 and 50316, said Patrick Schacherer of the Institute for Community Alliances, who presented the summer count's results at Tuesday's meeting.

More: We tagged along on a biannual count of Polk County's homeless people. Here's what we saw:

What age are people experiencing homelessness in Polk County?

Of the 729 people found experiencing homelessness, the majority — 173 — were ages 35 to 44 years old.

Schacherer expressed concern for the 17% of older adults ages 55 to 64 experiencing homelessness on a July night. In January, it was 16%, he says. He believes homelessness among seniors isn't as "insulated" as it was before.

F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 729 people in Polk County experienced homelessness in July, a 15% rise over last summer