New San Francisco Homeless Census Shows Slight Drop, But Methodology Also Changed

"Preliminary numbers show a 4% drop in the overall homeless population, and a dramatic 22% drop in unsheltered homeless people. The January 2024 count found 8,323 individuals overall who were experiencing homelessness, with 4,353 of those unsheltered. The new overall count is 7,973, with 3,400 unsheltered."

"The department is also touting a 54% drop in youth homelessness, but there was a 15% uptick in family homelessness, with 465 families counted as homeless in 2026. Flaws in the Point-in-Time Count are discussed whenever a new one is conducted, but officials say that this is the only apples-to-apples comparison that a city has to track its homeless population and the success or failure of its strategies to address homelessness."

"Advocates this year are saying this can't be an apples-to-apples comparison because the count was conducted at a different time of day and with a slightly different methodology, as SFist earlier reported though city officials say they hope this count will be more accurate than earlier ones as a result. Canvassers were dispatched early in the morning, instead of late at night, in January's count, and rather than using mostly untrained volunteers, this year's counters were a mix of outreach workers and trained volunteers who surveyed individuals about their housing status, rather than only conducting a visual survey."

San Francisco released preliminary results from its biennial point-in-time homeless count conducted on January 29. The overall homeless population fell from 8,323 in January 2024 to 7,973, a 4% decrease. Unsheltered homelessness dropped from 4,353 to 3,400, a 22% decline. Youth homelessness decreased by 54%, while family homelessness increased by 15%, with 465 families counted as homeless. Officials describe the count as the only consistent apples-to-apples measure for tracking street homelessness and evaluating strategies. Advocates question comparability due to differences in time of day and methodology. Canvassers surveyed earlier in the morning and used a mix of outreach workers and trained volunteers, including questions about housing status rather than relying only on visual observation.

Read at sfist.com