The "Point in Time" count found that 1,475 people were homeless in the city as of late January, when the annual count is taken each year. Since then, advocates say they've seen a spike in the number of people visiting shelters or seeking help from local homeless agencies.

"We see a lot of folks that came here from other towns, because Oklahoma City's unemployment rate was really low," said Dan Straughan, the executive director of the city's nonprofit Homeless Alliance. "They might have thought they had a job, but it didn't come through."

About 77 percent reported a hometown in Oklahoma. Straughan said a sizable portion of the remaining 23 percent likely came to Oklahoma City because it had not been hit as hard by the recession as other parts of the country or because of family ties to the area.

The annual homeless count is coordinated by the Homeless Alliance, the Coalition for the Needy and city officials. Teams of volunteers conduct the count by visiting homeless shelters, hot meal programs and encampments across the city. People without homes who temporarily stay with family or friends weren't included in the count.

Officials estimate that a city's number of homeless people is about four to five times higher than a count gathered during a one-night census. That would indicate there are between 5,900 and 7,375 homeless people in Oklahoma City, whose population is estimated at about 552,000 by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Of the 1,475 homeless people counted in the city on Jan. 29, about 16 percent were age 17 or younger. About 18 percent reported being a member of a homeless family, 15 percent reported veteran status and 22 percent said they suffered from mental illness.

About 14 percent said they owned a home immediately before becoming homeless — a nearly 34 percent spike since 2007.

Janet Jouvert, 51, first came to Oklahoma City last summer after being evacuated from her Lake Charles, La., home because of Hurricane Gustav. She said she decided to stay, even though she didn't have a permanent place to live, as she fought an addiction to crack cocaine she said cost her home.

She said she's been drug-free for almost a year and hopes soon to return to school, find a job and find a home for her family. Her two youngest sons, ages 10 and 15, have joined her in Oklahoma City.

"I know God brought me here to transform my life," said Jouvert, who lives for now at the City Rescue Mission. "There's always hope. God says if you take the first step, he'll take care of the rest."

Fellow shelter resident Leslie Arnold, 24, of Guymon, moved to Oklahoma City before losing her apartment because of what she called her excessive drinking. She said she was amazed by how many homeless people there were in the city, and she was grateful for programs that offer assistance.

"I don't feel so much panic," said Arnold, who hopes to become a nurse. "There is a lot of help out there."

Straughan said Oklahoma City's homeless numbers are lower than in other cities of similar size. He said the number of homeless families with children dropped slightly last year. For the past five years, that demographic had been the fastest-growing segment of the city's homeless population.

"We are extremely excited to have reversed the growth trend here in Oklahoma City, especially considering the national increase," Straughan said.

Tom Jones, the president and CEO of the City Rescue Mission, said that donations to the shelter took a significant dip late last year but since have stabilized.

"We were able to modify expenses," he said. "The beautiful thing ... is we saw a radical increase in in-kind giving" in items such as food. "People just rallied and donations have come in that have carried us through."