Homelessness Spikes Again in San Diego County

San Diego County’s latest homeless census shows the crisis hit a new record this year. 

This January’s point-in-time count tallied 10,605 homeless residents sleeping in shelters or outdoors throughout the region, marking a 3 percent year-over-year spike that’s less dramatic than the previous year’s surge.  

Nearly 58 percent of those residents –– about 6,110 – slept outside, up 18 percent from a year ago.  

The rise in unsheltered San Diegans is among the data points in this year’s census that point to the region’s continuing struggle to rapidly move people who become homeless into housing  – and to catch those teetering on the edge.  

The numbers also reflect reduced shelter options following the end of pandemic emergency funding and the region’s move toward more homeless campgrounds and parking lots for people living in vehicles. People staying in these programs are considered unsheltered in the point-in-time count. 

Regional Task Force on Homelessness CEO Tamera Kohler, whose organization oversees the annual census, emphasizes that the one-day January count should be considered a minimum tally of the region’s homeless population. 

The Task Force separately reports that 22, 299 distinct people accessed temporary housing such as shelters or interacted with outreach workers from October 2022 through September 2023 – more than double the number of people counted in January’s one-day census.  

What point-in-time data shows: The number of chronically homeless people living outdoors increased 19 percent and more unsheltered people reported grappling with serious mental illnesses and addiction, experiences that reflect how homeless residents become more vulnerable the longer they remain on the street. 

“We are still seeing a system that is so overwhelmed that we’re not able to address people’s needs rapidly and (with) an urgent approach so they are experiencing homelessness for longer periods of time,” Kohler said. 

The federal government considers someone chronically homeless if they have a disability and have spent at least a year on the street.   

While this year’s increase in chronic homelessness was less than last year’s, the latest spike speaks to a continuing systemic problem: The homeless service system isn’t swiftly moving people off the street and that means unsheltered San Diegans can feel left behind – and end up more vulnerable. During this year’s count, 31 percent of unsheltered people reported a serious mental illness while 23 percent reported having a substance use disorder. 

Rachel Hayes, who spent more than a decade on the street before moving into housing last summer, said she has watched friends and people she volunteers to assist struggle more as they spend more time on the street.  

“The longer you leave ‘em on the streets, the worse they get,” Hayes said.  

Other populations on the rise: The number of families counted sleeping outside countywide rose from 2023 to 2024, increasing from 24 to 43. And the number of unsheltered veterans also spiked for the second year in a row, increasing 15 percent despite bolstered efforts to aid that population. 

The number of seniors sleeping outside also spiked 22 percent –  and 43 percent of the more than 1,800 unsheltered seniors tallied during the census reported they were homeless for the first time.  

A 44 percent year-over-year increase in people living in vehicles this year especially underscores an uptick in newly homeless San Diegans that the Task Force has tracked for more than two years. Cars and RVs are often an initial safe refuge for people who have lost their homes. 

The rise in vehicle homelessness shows the service system is ill-equipped to aid all San Diegans in need before they end up homeless. 

The bottom line: To significantly reduce homelessness, San Diego County’s homeless response system needs to step up efforts to prevent homelessness – and more efficiently aid those who are already unhoused.  

Tough budget times at the state and across the region threaten to stymie those efforts. 

Yet Kohler said she believes the latest point-in-time data showing a less significant surge than last year offers reason for hope. She sees opportunities to focus on senior and family homelessness, increase housing and prevention efforts for veterans and explore more ways to aid people living in vehicles. 

“I think we’ve got some places to really make impact if we’re willing to look at the trends and put some of our time and resources there,” Kohler said. 

What cities are seeing: North County cities saw especially large spikes in homelessness this year. Vista’s overall homeless population more than doubled, Carlsbad saw a nearly 84 percent spike and Encinitas’ population grew about two-thirds year over year. 

Lemon Grove and Spring Valley, meanwhile, saw surges in unsheltered homelessness of more than 80 percent while Chula Vista saw a 58 percent year-over-year spike in street homelessness. 

San Diego, which implemented a controversial homeless camping ban last summer, saw a 4 percent spike in overall homelessness and a 6 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness. 

Kohler, whose organization opposed the ordinance, said the camping ban didn’t seem to have a significant impact on the city’s homelessness numbers or those in other cities. 

“From where we saw the distribution, it just feels like in the (city of San Diego) there are people further out from city center, which also means they’re further from services,” Kohler said.