SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento Steps Forward, the nonprofit that conducts a point-in-time (PIT) count to track homelessness within Sacramento County, reported Wednesday the area saw a decrease in overall homelessness since 2022.
The count showed an overall estimated decline in homelessness of 29% compared to 2022. The Sacramento area also saw a 41% decline in unsheltered homelessness, which Sacramento Steps Forward said is one of largest drops to date in California.
In 2024, an estimated 6,615 individuals overall experienced homelessness on a single night in January, according to the report. In 2022, it was reportedly 9,278 people.
The report revealed a slight uptick in sheltered homelessness: there were 2,614 people experiencing sheltered homelessness in 2022, and approximately 2,671 people experienced it in 2024. However, the nonprofit pointed out both the city and county of Sacramento offer more long-term shelter beds in 2024 than they did in 2022.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandates communities do a biannual count to qualify for federal funding, and Sacramento Steps Forward has conducted its own count on a single night in January every other year for about the last 10 years.
The numbers of families, veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness have all decreased from 2022 to 2024, the report said.
Within Sacramento County, unincorporated areas and the city of Sacramento saw decreases in the amount of nightly unsheltered homelessness as did Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights. While an estimated 156 people experienced unsheltered homelessness in Rancho Cordova in 2022, only about 52 individuals experienced it there in 2024.
About 89 people experienced it in Citrus Heights in 2022; that number decreased to 62 in 2024.
Unsheltered homelessness in Folsom increased the most within Sacramento County. Folsom sees about six times the amount of unsheltered homelessness in 2024 than it did two years ago. There were roughly 20 unsheltered homeless nightly in 2022; now, that number is estimated at about 133 per night.
"For years, the inaccuracy of the PIT count has been evident countywide. Specifically in Folsom, we've never had a number we'd deem an accurate representation of the unhoused population," said Jon Ingraham, a spokesman for Christian nonprofit Powerhouse Ministries, which offers homelessness services in the community. "Last year, over 300 unique individuals sought services at our Crisis and Community Care center. This year's numbers don't indicate a sixfold increase in Folsom's homeless population, but they do, for the first time, reflect figures closer to the actual number of individuals we're serving in Folsom."
Folsom Mayor Mike Kozlowski said in a statement to ABC10 on Wednesday the city acknowledges that there is significant work to do in Folsom.
"While the overall decrease in homelessness across Sacramento County is encouraging, the increase within our city is a clear call to action," Kozlowski said. "The city manager’s (fiscal year) 2024-25 proposed budget is a critical step in this effort, as it addresses the increased service level needs for responding to homelessness in our community. This budget proposes adding six new positions to the police department to form a dedicated Homeless Outreach Team..."
The budget proposal includes allocated funding for a sergeant, a corporal and four police officers for the team, according to city documents. Folsom City Council will consider budget approval at its June 11 meeting.
In Elk Grove, the amount of unsheltered homeless just about doubled in two years. About 45 individuals experienced nightly unsheltered homelessness in 2022, and now there’s about 83 people in that category per night.
"We think that enhanced mapping and survey methods used for the count this year may have provided a more accurate representation of our unhoused community,” said Sarah Bontrager, Elk Grove’s Housing and Public Services Program Manager, in a statement Wednesday.
Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said Wednesday the city has the lowest per capita unsheltered population of any major city in Sacramento County.
“We remain committed to exploring and implementing solutions that provide sheltering services and programs to assist today’s unhoused population and prevent others from ever experiencing homelessness," Singh-Allen said.
Sacramento Steps Forward CEO Lisa Bates said several significant factors have helped ease the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in Sacramento’s entirety, including:
- Direct assistance from the state to the city and county through the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant (HHAP) program. The city, county, and Sacramento Steps Forward have received $120 million in HHAP funding since 2019, and HHAP currently pays for 97% of the city’s emergency shelter beds.
- A partnership agreement signed by the city and county in 2022 increased street outreach to homeless encampments with teams that include the county’s behavioral health workers.
- An easing of rents and the availability of apartments. Bates noted that the average apartment vacancy rate rose by 58% since 2022, with rents dipping by 3%.
- A new coordinated access system funded by the city and county run by Sacramento Steps Forward provides a centralized access point for shelter, housing and homelessness prevention services.
“...We recognize that pointing fingers does not lead us to success,” said Sacramento County District 2 Supervisor Patrick Kennedy at the community’s Wednesday PIT count announcement. “At the county, we're not just throwing money at a problem. While we are making significant financial investments, the decisions that we are making are scientifically based, data driven and we're utilizing our learned experience.”
