Numbers from the 2023 Homeless Point in Time Count have been released, and San Bernardino county has experienced a 26 percent increase in the unhoused population over the last year.
The Point in Time Count, conducted on January 26, is an annual event in which volunteers conduct a coordinated census of an area’s unhoused population in an effort to understand the scope of the problem. County officials have said that this year’s increase is likely due to the inclusion of data from the County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement program, which was considered alongside the Point in Time Count numbers.
This year’s PITC in San Bernardino County identified 4,195 unhoused people in the county compared to 3,333 last year, a difference of 862 individuals or 26 percent. However, the number of sheltered individuals increased by 275 people, or about 29%.
County officials said that this year’s count saw the highest number of volunteers, totaling more than 800, including 300 county employees.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has not released individual numbers for our hi desert communities.
