Riverside County point-in-time survey finds 15% jump in homeless population, but fewer lacking shelter
Results of Riverside County’s annual point-in-time survey released Tuesday showed a 15% increase in the county’s total homeless population, while the number of people lacking any form of shelter was down 8% compared to the county's most recent survey results in 2020.
The survey, which was conducted Feb. 23-25 and included more than 625 volunteers, identified a total of 3,316 people experiencing homelessness throughout Riverside County. The count was the first conducted by county officials in two years, after the 2021 count was canceled due to concerns about the transmission of COVID-19.
The survey also broke down the results by the five supervisorial districts. District 4, which includes the Coachella Valley, had the highest number of unsheltered people, with just over a third of the 1,980 people identified in the count.
Heidi Marshall, director of the county’s Housing, Homelessness Prevention and Workforce Solutions Department, told county supervisors Tuesday that the increase in homeless people with shelter — up 83% from the 2020 count — was partially a result of the county’s use of $196 million in federal stimulus money to set up a countywide rental assistance program.
"What is truly remarkable from these figures is that we didn't see a dramatic increase in the number of people who are unsheltered, given our current state of the economy, considering historic inflation numbers, record-breaking rent increases and the lowest vacancy rates that I've seen at least in the last 20 years," Marshall told the board of supervisors.
"It all points to a high-performing system, one that has managed to really stem the tide of families becoming homeless," Marshall added.
The data, however, shows a 22% increase in homeless seniors, those 62 and older, and an increase of 83% of families with children. Marshall said those figures are "alarming," especially among the senior population.
"The fact that our current state of the economy is what it is, we were surprised, quite frankly, to not see a much more dramatic increase," Marshall said. "But I think that these figures are indicative of what happens when you have the perfect storm: the historic inflation, the rent increases that are really dramatic in our county and then the lowest vacancy rates. All of that plays into and mostly affects folks on a fixed income."
The point-in-time results divvied up the populations by local municipalities, further indicating the Coachella Valley has an outsized number of people who lack adequate shelter. Palm Springs, with a total population of roughly 44,500, had the second-highest number of unsheltered people countywide, with 222, trailing only the city of Riverside, which sits in districts 1 and 2 and has a population of roughly 315,000.
Indio, which also lies in the county's fourth supervisorial district, had the fourth-highest number of unsheltered people, according to the results.
In total, there were 670 unsheltered individuals and 424 sheltered counted in District 4. While results indicate that there are "a good number of shelter partners in the area," Marshall said, "we need to expand in order to meet that need. The demand needs to govern the supply, and clearly that means to us that in changing our approach, we need to focus on meeting those gaps."
Here are the full results for the nine Coachella Valley cities from the 2022 homeless point-in-time count:
Cathedral City: 61 unsheltered (up 39% from 2020); 12 sheltered
Coachella: 74 unsheltered (down 5% from 2020); 0 sheltered
Desert Hot Springs: 48 unsheltered (down 29% from 2020); 15 sheltered
Indian Wells: 0 unsheltered (down 100% from 2020); 0 sheltered
Indio: 105 unsheltered (up 27% from 2020); 322 sheltered
La Quinta: 7 unsheltered (up 133% from 2020); 0 sheltered
Palm Desert: 26 unsheltered (up 44% from 2020); 0 sheltered
Palm Springs: 222 unsheltered (up 18% from 2020); 54 sheltered
Rancho Mirage: 3 unsheltered (down 75% from 2020); 0 sheltered
Homeless experts are hopeful, however, that conditions will improve in the Coachella Valley with the addition of a homeless navigation center in Palm Springs.
The City of Palm Springs and Riverside County are embarking on a new venture to jointly fund the creation of a new facility that will provide temporary housing and various services for those experiencing homelessness. The facility will be constructed on a 3.64-acre site at 3589 McCarthy Road, in the city's Desert Highlands Gateway Estates neighborhood. Indio-based homeless services provider Martha's Village and Kitchen will operate the facility.
A City Council staff report states that the shelter will have 80 housing units that will provide temporary housing, while another 50 or 60 shelter beds also will be available. In the nine Coachella Valley cities, 546 unsheltered individuals were counted in February, according to point-in-time data.
Marshall believes the center will be "the key" to narrow the gap between sheltered vs. unsheltered individuals in the valley.
Though there have been improvements, the work is not over yet, said Greg Rodriguez, deputy director of government affairs and community engagement for the Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions. Looking forward, the main focus is on bringing in more affordable housing units.
"The real key is really increasing the development of affordable housing units, especially those that have some targeted permanent supportive housing units," Rodriguez said. "We’re doing a great job at outreach, navigation and getting people into services, but that final piece of getting them a permanent unit is really what the main challenge is."
Marshall added the county is keeping its eyes on future grants and programs from the state to expand housing offerings and services.
Supervisors approve $2 million for Coachella Valley affordable housing fund
The county’s Board of Supervisors also gave its approval Tuesday to a proposal from local nonprofit Lift to Rise to create a loan fund for the acquisition and development of at least 300 affordable housing units throughout the Coachella Valley.
The supervisors allocated $2 million from the county’s federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which earmarked a total of $50 million for housing and homelessness projects in the county's latest round of funding.
After the vote, Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez cheered the creation of the Coachella Valley Regional Housing Catalyst Fund, calling it “an innovative way of using ARPA (federal money) for housing.”
“Our goals and priorities are to get more housing built that is affordable to people at all income levels,” Perez said in a statement. “These funds can help with the costs for infrastructure, land, and assembling the funding to get quality affordable housing developments across the finish line, which will address the housing shortage and provide great benefit of these one-time funds for local workers and residents.”
The funds, which must be used by Sept. 30, 2024, per federal guidelines, will be used for the development of housing for people making 80% or less of the area median income in Riverside County.
“We are thrilled to join with Riverside County, along with our more than 50 regional partners, to invest in affordable housing that will provide the foundation for better health and stability for our neighbors,” Heather Vaikona, president and CEO of Lift to Rise, said in a statement. “This $2 million investment is a bold statement about the county’s priorities to keep our neighbors housed, and forge long term permanent housing solutions.”
The $2 million allocation comes a few months after the county supervisors approved $5.74 million in American Rescue Plan funding for the acquisition of the homeless navigation center planned in Palm Springs.
Tom Coulter covers politics and can be reached at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com. Ema Sasic covers health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County point-in-time survey finds 15% jump in homeless population, but fewer lacking shelter
