Homelessness Continues to Significantly Increase in California According to January 2020 Homeless Counts

 

—Count results are pre-pandemic— —HUD likely to release official count results by end of year—

In 2020, 22 of the 44 California Continuums of Care (CoCs) conducted an unsheltered and sheltered homeless count in January and publicly reported and/or shared their results with Urban Initiatives to be included in this report. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) does not require CoCs to complete an unsheltered count in even-number years.

The other 22 CoCs conducted a sheltered count. HUD will combine their 2020 sheltered counts with their 2019 unsheltered counts and report their totals as their 2020 sheltered and unsheltered homeless count.

HUD will likely post the 44 California CoC homeless counts, along with all the counts conducted in January by every CoC throughout the country, at CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports by the end of the year.

Of the 22 California CoCs that conducted an unsheltered and sheltered homeless count, 17 or more than three-fourths (77.3%) counted more persons as homeless in 2020 when compared to the number of persons counted in 2019 and are shaded red in the map below. Five or 22.7% of the 22 CoCs, counted less persons as homeless in 2020 when compared to 2019 and are shaded blue in the map below.

The aforementioned 22 CoCs counted 93,098 persons as unsheltered and sheltered in 2019 and 103,014 in 2020, which represents an increase of nearly 10,000 persons (9,916) or 10.7%.

A table follows the map below that compares the total number of persons
counted as homeless by the 22 CoCs that conducted an unsheltered count in 2019
and 2020 and notes the 22 CoCs that did not conduct an unsheltered count in 2020

 

Table 1 compares the total number of persons counted as homeless by the 22 CoCs that conducted an unsheltered count in 2019 and 2020 and notes the 22 CoCs that did not conduct an unsheltered count in 2020.

Table 1

Comparison of Persons Counted as Homeless by CoC in 2020 to 2019

	Continuum of Care (CoC)	2019	2020	Difference
				#	%
CA-500	San Jose/Santa Clara City & County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-501	San Francisco CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-502	Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-503	Sacramento City & County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-504	Santa Rosa, Petaluma/Sonoma County CoC	2,951	2,745	-206	-7.0
CA-505	Richmond/Contra Costa County CoC	2,295	2,277	-18	-0.8
CA-506	Salinas/Monterey, San Benito Counties CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-507	Marin County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-508	Watsonville/Santa Cruz City & County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-509	Mendocino County CoC	785	751	-34	-4.3
CA-510	Turlock, Modesto/Stanislaus County CoC	1,923	2,107	+184	+9.6
CA-511	Stockton/San Joaquin County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-512	Daly City/San Mateo County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-513	Visalia/Kings, Tulare Counties CoC	1,064	1,297	+233	+21.9
CA-514	Fresno City & County/Madera County CoC	2,508	3,641	+1,133	+45.2
CA-515	Roseville, Rocklin/Placer, Nevada Counties	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-516	Redding/Shasta County CoC	1,349	1,529	+180	+13.3
CA-517	Napa City & County CoC	322	464	+142	+44.1
CA-518	Vallejo/Solano County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-519	Chico, Paradise/Butte County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-520	Merced City & County CoC	608	636	+28	+4.6
CA-521	Davis, Woodland/Yolo County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-522	Humboldt County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-523	Colusa, Glen, Trinity Counties CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-524	Yuba City/Sutter County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-525	El Dorado County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-526	Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa Counties CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-527	Tehama County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-529	Lake County CoC	408	572	+164	+40.2
CA-530	Alpine, Inyo, Mono Counties CoC	214	184	-30	-14.0
CA-600	Los Angeles City and County	56,257	63,706	+7,449	+13.2
CA-601	San Diego City and County CoC	8,102	7,619	-483	-6.0
CA-602	Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
CA-603	Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County CoC	1,803	1,897	+94	+5.2
CA-604	Bakersfield/Kern County CoC	1,330	1,580	+250	+18.8
CA-606	Long Beach CoC	1,894	2,034	+140	+7.4
CA-607	Pasadena CoC	542	527	-15	-2.8
CA-608	Riverside City & County CoC	2,811	2,884	+73	+2.6
CA-609	San Bernardino City & County CoC	2,607	3,125	+518	+19.9
CA-611	Oxnard, San Buenaventura/ Ventura County CoC	1,669	1,743	+74	+4.4
CA-612	Glendale CoC	243	169	-74	-30.0
CA-613	Imperial County CoC	1,413	1,527	+114	+8.1
CA-614	San Luis Obispo County CoC	Did not complete an unsheltered count in 2020
	Total:	93,098	103,014	+9,916	+10.7

 

2021 Homeless Count

An unsheltered count in January 2021 would help determine the impact of the pandemic on homelessness in California. Homelessness likely increased in California since January, particularly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A homelessness pandemic may be looming because of a surge in evictions. Presently, an estimated 30–40 million people in the United States could be at risk of eviction in the next several months.

HUD, however, has not yet announced whether CoCs will be required to conduct an unsheltered count or not because of safety concerns related to COVID-19. An announcement is expected soon.  A sheltered count will be required.

If required, HUD has indicated that an unsheltered count would only include a “head-count” instead of collecting additional information from adults experiencing homelessness as in the past such as gender, age, race, ethnicity, and other subpopulation data such as veteran status and chronic homelessness.

More persons will likely be counted as homeless in 2021 when compared to the number of persons counted as homeless in 2020, especially if extra effort is put into locating and counting persons living in vehicles. Often, persons live out of their vehicles when they first become homeless and unable to live with friends and families and initially refuse to live in shelters.

Persons living in vehicles such as cars, vans, trucks, and recreational vehicles (RV) in disrepair or with limited or no access to water, electricity and sewer connections have been required by HUD to be included in unsheltered counts. Pre-identifying known locations where vehicles are parked at night to ensure persons living in the vehicles are counted is key to determining the impact of the pandemic on unsheltered homelessness in California.