Imperial Beach’s Homeless Population Increases

A year ago, a one-day survey of the Imperial Beach homeless population found 13 people living unsheltered or in their cars. 

This year’s count found 41 homeless people in California's most southwest city, 30 of whom were found living in vehicles.

In contrast, a decline was seen countywide as the Regional Task Force on the Homeless released its annual census April 18 at Veterans Village of San Diego.

San Diego County found 8,900 people in shelters, in vehicles or on the street—a 7.7 percent drop from the previous year of 9,638.

But Dolores Diaz, executive director of the group, said the number of homeless people countywide still is 4.5 percent higher than it was in 2010.

"It’s not an exact number," Diaz was quoted as saying. "We will never know the exact number of homeless in San Diego."

The 2013 survey found 8,900 people homeless—5,747 in the city of San Diego, 1,042 in inland North County, 747 in coastal North County, 715 in South County and 649 in East County.

Some 900 volunteers canvassed the county on Jan. 25, a rainy day—about 150 more people doing the count than in 2012, said the task force.

The count leads to about $15 million in federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for San Diego County homeless services, the group said.

Nearly 4,600 were living in the streets, a drop of 13.2 percent, while the more than 4,300 in shelters was down 1 percent.

In a survey of nearly 700 homeless adults, the percentage of homeless who are also military veterans dropped to 15 percent, from 18 percent last year. Also down, was the portion considered high level substance abusers, from 35 percent to 34 percent.

However, the portion of those homeless more than one year climbed five points from 2012 to 69 percent, and 51 percent were listed as chronically homeless, a hike of 4 percent over the past year.

Additionally, 54 percent made a hospital emergency room visit in the past year, up from half in the prior count. Reducing the amount of costly ER visits is one of the goals of agencies that deal with the homeless.

Like 2012, 3 of 4 homeless people found in San Diego County during the 2013 count were men.

City News Service contributed to this report.