Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara County
Results of the 2020 Point in Time (PIT) Count of persons experiencing homelessness was released [Tuesday]. Conducted on January 29, 2020 by the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care (CoC), the Count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and serves as a snapshot of homelessness in the county on a single night. The County and CoC provided oversight of the PIT Count, working closely with Northern Santa Barbara County United Way Home for Good, Simtech Solutions and more than 500 volunteers.
Countywide, 1,897 persons were counted representing an increase of 5 percent in the number of persons experiencing homelessness. The count includes 1,223 persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness and 674 persons living in emergency shelters or transitional housing. In 2019, the official PIT count was 1,803. There was a notable increase in unsheltered persons living in their vehicles between 2019 and 2020. While communities across the state of California have not yet released their 2020 Point in Time Count numbers, many counties experienced double digit increases in the homeless population between 2017 and 2019.
|
Year |
Homeless Sheltered |
Homeless Unsheltered (persons in vehicles in parenthesis) |
Total Homeless persons |
|
2019 |
670 |
1,133 (479) |
1,803 |
|
2020 |
674 |
1,223 (629) |
1,897 |
Highlights from the collected data include:
- 90 families with 185 children under the age of 18 were homeless the night of the count (this does not include families doubled up, paying for a motel or at-risk of homelessness), 90 families represent a decrease of 22 percent from 2019.
- 51 percent of the persons in the unsheltered count (1,223) were living in vehicles (629), an increase of 31 percent from 2019.
- 613 persons were experiencing chronic homelessness, an increase of 45 percent from 2019.
- 210 veterans were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 83 percent from 2019.
Home for Good recruited more than 500 volunteers to assist, including 435 people who showed up at 5:30 a.m. to canvas 89 census tracts across the county.
“The PIT Count effort illustrates that there is still much work to do to address homelessness; thankfully we have committed resources and dedicated partners to pursue solutions across the county,” stated CoC Chairman Rob Fredericks in response to the PIT results.
The chart below provides count data by city/area compared to the 2019 PIT homeless population estimates combining both unsheltered and sheltered populations. The homeless population was distributed throughout the county: 1,292 (68%) persons in south county, 387 (20%) persons in north county and 218 (12%) in mid-county. The homeless population in Lompoc and Santa Maria decreased, while nearly all areas along the South coast had increases in the homeless population. Increases are attributed to more persons counted that are living in their vehicles.
Table 1: PIT Population by Area
|
City/Area |
2020 Total |
2019 Total |
|
Carpinteria |
39 |
21 |
|
Summerland |
8 |
8 |
|
Montecito |
6 |
6 |
|
Goleta |
166 |
119 |
|
Santa Barbara |
914 |
887 |
|
Isla Vista |
69 |
33 |
|
Unincorporated South Coast areas including Gaviota, East Goleta Valley, Mission Canyon and Toro Canyon |
90 |
not reported |
|
Lompoc |
211 |
249 |
|
Vandenberg Village/Mission Hills |
5 |
|
|
Buellton/Solvang/Santa Ynez Valley |
2 |
5 |
|
Santa Maria |
382 |
464 |
|
Orcutt |
2 |
7 |
|
Guadalupe |
3 |
4 |
|
New Cuyama |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
1,897 |
1,803 |
The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care promotes community-wide planning and strategic use of resources and programs targeted to people experiencing homelessness. The County of Santa Barbara serves as the lead agency for the CoC.
The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care Board will receive a presentation of the 2020 PIT Count on April 2 at 2 p.m. at Shepard Hall at the Santa Maria Library. A more comprehensive report of the 2020 PIT data will be released later this year after official submission to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For additional details on the 2020 Point in Time report, contact Kimberlee Albers, Homeless Assistance Programs Manager at kalbers@co.santa-barbara.ca.us or (805) 560-1090.
bums on state street are fake news? they must be paying those actors well, cause they sell that perfectly
Time for Cuyama to step up and take their share of the problem.
Maybe when the quit growing carrots that land could be used to deal with the homeless that want to live in SB.
County that is.
There’s only 577,000 people in the entire state of Wyoming. One way bus ticket can’t be that expensive.
Only 5 percent? That’s crazy! We’re not doing enough for these folk. I heard this morning they’ll be getting hand sanitizer stations, but the infrastructure to prevent stealing and converting assets into inebriants is forthcoming, and stalling progress. Perhaps we should hire a consulting firm, and see what we need to do in order to attract more of the good souls who just have had a spell of bad luck. What i don’t understand, though, is why they just don’t go home: everyone is from somewhere, and if there own kindred won’t welcome them back, why should we?
ok…..and the cause for the increase is……..
Is it because more people are just finding their way to our area rather than a increase of our “own residential population”? It’s important to understand if we are encouraging the problem by providing so much free assistance or if there are issues happening within our own community that need to be addressed.
This is great news for the Vagrant Industrial Complex. Plenty of money to be made and spent and wasted “fighting” the problem.
Fake news
There is definitely more than that in Santa Barbara. How do they count all the vagrants who hide in the bushes all day? A lot of homeless people will lie and say they aren’t homeless. Ive talked to a few vagrants I’ve seen living near the train tracks why they are homeless and they told me they weren’t homeless.
Until the law changes and we can once again involuntarily commit those unable to care for themselves to metal institutions they will be out there in the bushes, in the doorways. Panhandling and stealing to buy their drugs and booze. Build a nice new big nuthouse and provide jobs for the community and two hots and a cot for the ner’do’wells. Currently it costs $40,000 a year to incarcerate an inmate. Perhaps that is cheaper than throwing millions at the “problem” studies and handlers and leaving them free range.
Yipeee!! More vagrants, more money!!!! Say the “volunteer” counters.
Tent cities and/or work camps. End of discussion. That takes care of the will-nots.
I think that some of these comments are very hard hearted and mean spirited. They don’t take into account that
– some of the homeless recently had a health issue or lost their job and until now were folks just like you and me. When you’re working poor, you can be just one check away from losing your rental
– some are alcoholics and alcoholism is a disease (look it up). They need treatment.
– some are mentally ill and we don’t have facilities for them. Plus when you have mental illness, often you lack the capacity to find help.
– some are children, old people and people with physical ailments. The are vulnerable and can’t really take care of themselves, often through no fault of their own.
There is no one solution to homelessness. However, it is uncharitable to characterize the people trying to help as in it for themselves. Many are volunteers, members of your church or synagogue, trying to work on different aspects of the problem. I hope some reading this will agree, not just let this forum go to only those who have such a negative point of view.