More than 4,400 people were homeless on Jan. 25, a significant increase from previous years fueled by federally funded pandemic rent relief programs and a surge in asylum-seeking immigrants, according to MaineHousing’s annual point in time survey.

The 4,411 individuals, a one-day snapshot, is up from 2,204 in the 2021 survey and 2,097 in 2020. In a release sent early Monday morning, MaineHousing said the numbers reflect only those homeless on a particular day and that “the actual number of people experiencing homelessness at any point throughout the year is considerably higher.”

“Each number represents our fellow Mainers and many people fleeing to Maine for a safe second chance at life for themselves and their families,” said Daniel Brennan, director of MaineHousing. “This information will help inform our ongoing work of overhauling our homeless response system, work that was underway before the pandemic hit and remains in progress today.”

That work includes regional coordinators in nine parts of Maine who will gather additional data and help connect people with affordable housing options.

Of those counted in the 2022 survey, 3,276 were living in an emergency shelter, including hotels and motels; 164 were living in cars, tents, abandoned buildings or other places not suitable as housing and 956 were in transitional housing, according to MaineHousing.

“Shelters are full and overflowing into hotels, and that is compounded by a lack of housing placements,” said Cullen Ryan, president of the Maine Continuum of Care Board of Directors. “People are becoming stuck. The affordable housing crisis is clearly affecting people experiencing homelessness. And no one is better for not having housing."