Hundreds of volunteers took to San Diego County’s streets Thursday for its annual Point-In-Time Count, a census of the county’s homeless population.
Last year’s count, featuring 1,700 volunteers spread across the county under the territory covered by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, found no fewer than 10,605 people. The majority, 6,110 lacked shelter, and 4,495 people were in shelters or transitional housing.
Those numbers – while nominally less than in 2023 – included an 18% increase in unsheltered people. The results are typically not available until the summer.
“It’s an imperfect tool,” said Tamera Kohler, CEO of the task force. “In addition to data, what it really does is help us better understand this crisis and the needs that exist on our streets.”
In a change this year, there was no kickoff event in downtown San Diego at Civic Center Plaza.
According to Father Joe’s Villages, the region’s largest homelessness services provider, there are significant legislative and logistical obstacles to “solving” the homelessness crisis in the region. Current shelter and affordable housing options have been insufficient, officials said in a statement, and a lack of access to health care or detox services present more barriers.
“Counts like these allow providers and policymakers to identify exactly where the need for services and outreach is most keenly felt and allocate resources accordingly,” the officials said. “The Point-in-Time count also serves as a way to understand the circumstances that may force someone to experience homelessness in the first place, allowing service providers to understand how to divert or prevent people from becoming homeless at all.”
Some local leaders joined volunteers to get a clearer picture of what the region is facing.
“It’s encouraging to see fewer people living on the streets. The Unsafe Camping Ordinance, Safe Sleeping Sites and new housing developments are making a real impact,” San Diego City Councilman Stephen Whitburn said of city programs. “But too many of our neighbors are still without shelter, and we must continue expanding shelter options to help them off the sidewalks and back on their feet.”
San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson joined volunteers in El Cajon, in part, he said, because it “puts real faces and names behind San Diego County’s homelessness crisis.”
“After being a part of the Point-in-Time-Count for the past four years, I remain committed to solving this problem. We have been innovative at the county and have developed successful programs that I hope will continue to help more people get off the street,” he said.
According to last year’s count, the number of homeless people increased by around 200 in each region of the county. The numbers also reflect a 44% increase in people living in their cars and a decrease in shelter or other temporary housing options.
Volunteers ask demographic questions of people they meet during the count. In 2024’s report, they began reporting Hispanic ethnicity along with race for the first time.
The count is federally required and the data are used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine how to distribute federal homeless relief funding.
Updated 2:55 p.m. Jan. 30, 2025
