County's Point-in-Time Count of homeless completed, record number of volunteers

San Bernardino County officials reported a record number of volunteers during the annual Point-in-Time Count of the homeless population.

Those conducting the 2023 PITC on Thursday included over 800 volunteers, more than 300 county employees, partner cities, towns, and agencies.

During the count, PITC teams visited riverbeds, open fields, underpasses, alleys, and anywhere else the homeless might be found.

Results from the count will be tabulated, and the results will be announced during the coming months. Data will be used to help determine how much assistance the county will receive from the federal government to address homelessness.

“The Point-in-Time Count is a crucial part of developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness and provide a pathway to self-sufficiency,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe.”I want to thank our partners and the dedicated volunteers who took part in conducting this year’s survey,”

Since the 2019 PITC, the county’s mobile application survey, leveraging Esri’s Arc Geographic Information Systems technology, has been used by volunteers during the count.

PITC team members asked homeless individuals a series of questions to help the county determine how best to address the issue of homelessness and assist those in immediate need of help.

PITC 2022 

The 2022 count showed a 6.6% increase in the total number of homeless, sheltered, and unsheltered, significantly improving from the 20% increase in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 count.

The 2022 count found 3,333 homeless persons in the county compared to 3,125 in 2020. However, the unsheltered population decreased by one, from 2,390 in 2020 to 2,389 this year.

This 0% increase shows dramatic progress, as each of the three previous counts in 2020, 2019, and 2018 showed double-digit percentage increases.

The 2022 count also found 209 more sheltered persons – those living in shelters and transitional housing – than were found in 2020, an increase of more than 28%, demonstrating the County’s success in creating additional shelter space for our homeless population.

PITC High Desert 2022

The PITC 2022 revealed that Victorville again topped the homeless chart among High Desert municipalities with 455 individuals who were either sheltered, in transitional housing, or unsheltered.

While Victorville marked a 1% increase in homeless people since 2020, Hesperia revealed a 66% increase, from 32 to 53 individuals, during that same period.

The PITC found 3,333 homeless persons in the county compared to 3,125 in 2020. The unsheltered population decreased by one, from 2,390 in 2020 to 2,389 this year.

The nearly 0% increase in unsheltered people shows dramatic progress as each of the three previous counts in 2020, 2019, and 2018 showed double-digit percentage increases, county officials said.

After frontrunner Victorville, the second jurisdiction with the largest number of homeless persons was Barstow, with 103, which includes 54 unsheltered individuals.

Barstow’s homeless count dropped by five people over the last two years, the report showed.

Hesperia had the third-highest number of homeless, with 53. The county tallied 14 sheltered and 19 unsheltered in the Gateway City of the High Desert.

In Apple Valley, 27 homeless individuals were counted, four less than in 2020.

Adelanto saw seven sheltered among the 25 individuals contacted. The number is one more than two years ago.

The area of Phelan/Pinon Hills reported one unsheltered person, while Yermo had none.

To the southeast of the Victor Valley, the PITC reported 57 homeless, with 42 considered unsheltered in Yucca Valley. Joshua Tree had 28, which were all unsheltered.

County voices

“The Point-in-Time count is crucial for funding, and the results of the homeless count will provide the County and local cities with opportunities to develop local community and countywide strategies to help people exit life on the streets and by which the success of our efforts will improve the quality of life for San Bernardino County residents,” said Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires local governments to conduct counts of their homeless populations every other year. However, San Bernardino County shows an annual count in alignment with best practices recommended by HUD.

“Each year, we work to make a collective impact as a county to improve the processes created to reduce our homeless population. The efforts by volunteers, county staff, and community stakeholders have helped to make an impact in the lives of real people,” said Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman. “It is through these concentrated and compassionate efforts that people experiencing homelessness find options and support. This is a crucial first step in improving the quality of life for people who have experienced hardships and need a helping hand,”

“Identifying our current state of homelessness will provide us a baseline for moving our region forward,” said 2nd District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez. “Together, we will expand our services to those experiencing homelessness and mental health issues.”

In partnership with several community organizations and county departments – including the Sheriff, Behavioral Health, Aging and Adult Services, Public Health, and Probation – the county is building on the successes achieved by the pandemic-inspired Project Roomkey and Project Homekey to make serious progress toward addressing homelessness throughout San Bernardino County.

In May 2022, the Board of Supervisors launched a unified and strategic approach to tackling homelessness in SBC with clear, ambitious goals and an unprecedented alignment of 16 county departments.

The 2022 SBC Homeless Strategic Action Plan revolves around a Homeless to Home Roadmap to Self-Sufficiency. It focuses on strengthening the ability of County departments and community partners to make a collective impact toward reducing and preventing homelessness by housing the most at-risk, increasing shelter capacity, and improving the current systems in place to shelter and serve the homeless.

The plan moves SBC’s fight against homelessness from a collection of individual programs to a strategic and data-driven countywide response that directs allocating resources, services, and programs to improve the quality of life for all county residents.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: County's Point-in-Time Count of homeless population completed