San Bernardino County reports modest 1.4% increase in residents experiencing homelessness (2024)

The number of San Bernardino County residents experiencing homelessness rose a modest 1.4% last year, according to a report released this week.

According to the county, 3,055 homeless people were identified during the Jan. 25Point in Time Count, up 60 people from the 2023 count that each year offers policymakers a snapshot of the population without permanent shelter.

The county’s homelessness numbers have increased steadily for seven years. In the 2017 count, county officials and volunteers identified 1,866 homeless county residents, or about half the number identified in 2023.

An almost-flat increase in the number of homeless resident last year, however, is a far cry from the previous year’s report, which showed a jump of 26% more people experiencing homelessness from 2022.

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“This data shows a flattening of our homeless numbers, which is a promising sign that we are heading in the right direction,” Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman said in a news release issued by the county Thursday, May 30.

The nationwide Point in Time Count locates and counts the number of county residents living without permanent shelter. The data is required to get U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding to combat homelessness.

Riverside County does its count of unsheltered residents every two years, as allowed by federal law. In 2023, homelessness in Riverside County rose 12% over the prior year, to a total of 3,725 people. That followed the nationwide trend, with HUD officials announcing in December that about 653,000 people were homeless nationally last year, up 70,650 from the year before.

Here are highlights of the findings released by San Bernardino County Thursday:

• The number of people in shelters decreased this year, falling 3.1% or 19 people.
• Meanwhile, the percentage of unsheltered residents experiencing homelessness increased 2.6%, or 79 people.
• 35.9% of unsheltered residents became homeless for the first time during the 12 months before the Jan. 25 count.
• 55.6% of unsheltered adults were chronically homeless, meaning they have been homeless for a year or more and have a disabling condition such as mental illness, a chronic health condition or a physical disability.
• 11.5% of the county’s unsheltered homeless residents had been in foster care as children.
• 21.4% of unsheltered homeless adults said they had been incarcerated in the past 12 months.

The biggest rise in the number of homeless residents was found in Colton, where 136 more homeless people were counted than in 2023. Fontana, meanwhile, saw an increase of 61 homeless residents, and Twentynine Palms had 25 more homeless residents than the year before.

On the other end of the scale, Redlands saw a drop of 111 residents experiencing homelessness. San Bernardino saw a drop of 85 homeless residents. And Barstow saw a drop of 41 residents experiencing homelessness.

“We recognize that homelessness is the number one concern of our residents,” Redlands City Manager Charlie Duggan said in a news release. “We have marshalled our resources to address the issue head on. The latest Point-In-Time-Count numbers show that we are making significant progress. Homelessness affects everyone in our community and, of course, is devastating to those who are directly affected. We will continue our efforts to provide for the health and safety of all our residents.”

The city’s release pointed to the 2022 creation of a Homeless Solutions Office and the hiring of a Homeless Solutions Manager to coordinate resources and provide outreach to the homeless population, along with a $30 million Homekey grant from the state of California in 2022.

Part of the city’s grant was used to convert a former motel into the 98-unit Step Up in Redlands supportive housing facility, which the city supports through a $510,000 subsidy each year to offer services to residents. Earlier this year, Redlands terminated its agreement with Shangri-La, a Los Angeles developer accused of misappropriating more than $100 million in state funds intended to convert motels into housing for unsheltered homeless residents.

Countywide, officials say more work remains to be done.

Last year, San Bernardino County pledged $72 million to house those who have become homeless and for intervention programs to prevent county residents from falling into that state.But they also returned $4.4 million in HUD funds intended to fight homelessness in late 2022. Local nonprofits saidformer county officials were “sitting” on the pandemic-era money for two years before getting serious about spending it.

“The county of San Bernardino is taking significant strides to address this issue head-on,” Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. said in the county’s news release. “We are investing in projects like Kern Street and Pacific Village to provide essential services like substance use treatment and recuperative care beds. These efforts are crucial for improving the health and well-being of our community.”

• Why haven’t we solved homelessness in California?
• California awards $30 million to Redlands for homeless housing
• Step Up in Redlands welcomes its first formerly homeless residents
• San Bernardino County to spend more than $72 million fighting homelessness
• Homelessness climbed 26% last year in San Bernardino County
• San Bernardino County returns $4.4 million intended to help homeless
• San Bernardino County ‘sat’ on homeless funds before returning $4.4M, nonprofits say
• Redlands boots embattled LA developer from homeless housing program