There are 8,201 unhoused people in Alameda County. That’s a 13% decrease since 2024. There was also an 18% decrease in unsheltered homelessness, and an increase in the number of homeless people who are living in the county’s shelter system.
Those are some of the key results from this year’s Point-in-Time Count — a federally mandated count of how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
This year, 1,300 volunteers fanned out across Alameda County to gather the data. They went out early in the morning, counted people by hand, and asked certain people to fill out demographic surveys.
“ We use the same rigorous, well-founded, data-driven methodology that we did in 2024. So as they say, we're doing apples to apples by comparison,” said Jonathan Russell, Director of Housing and Homelessness services in the county.
"Good morning everyone!" Russell said. "Thank you for being here on this warm day."
County officials celebrated on Tuesday, saying local tax measures allowed for new investments in homeless prevention, shelter, and affordable housing.
A number of supervisors, including Board President David Haubert, called out the 10 year, half-cent sales tax for homeless services that was approved by voters in 2020.
"I'd like to thank the residents of Alameda County for voting to approve Measure W." Haubert said. "Can I get an amen to that?"
"Amen!" the crowd replied.
"We are making good progress. However, our work is not done yet," he continued.
Despite this progress, officials said they still have a long way to go. Point-in-Time is widely considered to be an undercount: In Alameda County, more than 25,000 people touch the homelessness system each year.
Oakland—which is home to more than half of the county’s unhoused population—saw a decrease of 20 percent. Hayward saw a 21% decrease. Berkeley and Fremont, experienced 4% and 6% increases in their homeless populations, respectively.
The complete results of Alameda County’s Point in Time count, including the demographic data collected in surveys with over 2,000 unhoused people, will be released in September.
