By Alexandra Mendoza
According to the annual count performed by San Diego’s Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the overall number of people living either on the street or in shelters saw a slight, 0.6 percent decrease in comparison with the previous year.
The report, which was published this week, states that there are 8,692 people currently without a home, of whom close to 5,000 are unsheltered (a near 19 percent increase in comparison with the previous year). As a result, there has been a 69 percent increase in tents and other makeshift structures where the homeless sleep.
Having these statistics is “critical” in order to access the more than $15 million in Federal funding that will be used for housing and services, stated the Task Force in a Press Release.
Councilmember Todd Gloria – who chairs the San Diego Regional Continuum of Care Council (RCCC) – added that the situation requires real solutions for permanent housing.
“We must stay focused on a regional and collaborative approach and advocate for San Diego´s fair share of federal funding to address the complex issue of homelessness”, expressed Councilmember Gloria in a press release. “I will not be satisfied until all San Diegans have a place to call home.”
The report shows that the City of San Diego has the largest number of homeless people countywide, with close to 60 percent, followed by Oceanside with 7.7 percent, Chula Vista (6.2 percent), and Escondido (6.1 percent).
In contrast with the increase in unsheltered homeless, there was a 16.2 percent reduction in veteran homelessness, 12.6 percent in unsheltered families, and a 13 percent reduction in unsheltered chronic homeless.
“While the increase in the number of unsheltered homeless persons is disappointing we are seeing reductions in veteran, family and chronic homeless in our community,” stressed Dolores Diaz, Executive Director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.
“These reductions would not have been possible without the partnership of homeless service providers and targeted federal, local, state and private resources.”
The annual count is used as a parameter when requesting federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Development (HUD).
This past March, the agency allocated nearly $15 million for community organizations that provide housing for the homeless, while California provided $275 million in funding.