The number of homeless people living at sheltered and unsheltered sites have increased in the Bay Area, almost across the board, according to a recent point-in-time census.
SFGATE reportedthat Alameda County saw the highest increase in its homeless population since 2019 with 22-percent, including a nearly 40 percent increase in the number of people living in RVs, vans and cars.
The site also reported that Santa Clara, Sonoma and Marin counties also recorded single-digit increases in their homeless numbers.
San Francisco, however, recorded a three-and-a-half percent drop in its overall homeless population. The Mayor’s office released figures showing that there were about 77-hundred homeless people living in the city, down from more than 8,000 in 2019. The survey also showed a 15-percent decrease in people living unsheltered on the streets and an 18-percent rise in those living in transitional housing.
The counts are done every two years, but last scheduled year’s count was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.