New Homeless Count Sees Slight Drop In Santa Clara County, San Jose

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — A new point-in-time count of unhoused community members in Santa Clara County saw a slight drop in people experiencing homelessness compared to last year, both countywide and in the city of San Jose. Officials released the data Tuesday, finding a 1.2 percent decrease in unhoused residents of Santa Clara County and a nearly 5 percent dip within San Jose.

Still, the survey recorded more than 9,900 unhoused people living in the county, with more than 6,300 living in San Jose's city limits.

"The latest results reflect both the progress made and the enormous challenges ahead," the county wrote Tuesday. "Over the past several years, stakeholders throughout the community have come together to implement a comprehensive response to homelessness — which has included building thousands of new units of affordable housing, scaling homelessness prevention assistance, expanding outreach and basic needs services, and piloting new temporary housing and shelter models."

More granular numbers showed a 4 percent drop in people living unsheltered, accompanied by an 8 percent increase in people who have gotten off the street through interim housing or short-term shelters. More significant progress was seen among veterans, seeing a 27 percent drop in those considered homeless.

"This year's count shows that our investments in permanent housing, interim housing, and prevention are beginning to gain traction and the homelessness crisis appears to be stabilizing," said Jacky Morales-Ferrand, director of San Jose's Housing Department. "While it is reassuring to see tangible evidence that our investments are moving us in the right direction, the count is also a reminder that thousands of people are still suffering on our streets."

According to the county, supportive housing has moved more than 9,600 people from homelessness into housing since 2020. Since voters approved Measure A six years ago, more than 4,400 new apartments have been built, and nearly 700 renovations are complete or in progress.

Temporary shelter capacity grew by 15 percent since last year, and the county noted a 27 percent drop in the number of people who became homeless for the first time over the last year.

The numbers released Tuesday are preliminary, and officials remind that point-in-time counts are "imprecise," offering a snapshot of a single night, and are just one tool to help measure the state of the region's homelessness crisis.