HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-07; Point in Time Count; Gallucci, NeilTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL /
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May 7, 2020
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Council Memorandum
Honorable Mayo Hall
Neil Gallucci, Chief
Scott Chadwick, City
Point In Time Count
{cityof
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2020086
The Point-in-Time {PIT) Count is an unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered individuals
experiencing homelessness across the United States during the last week in January. Since
2005, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has required all Continuums of Care (Coe) who
receive federal funding to provide an annual or bi-annual count of people experiencing-
homelessness who are unsheltered, sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and
safe havens.
The Point-in-time Count is important because it identifies the scope of the problem and helps
policymakers, governments, and program administrators track their progress towards ending
homelessness. Gathering this data increases public awareness, reflects local, regional, and
national trends in homelessness, creates new policies, and attracts new r:_esources. On a local
level, this count identifies strengths and gaps in a community's existing homeless system, helps
plan services and programs to address the needs of their unsheltered residents, and tracks the
progress in reducing the overall number of homelessness in a community.
The Count is not without its limitations or public criticism. As communities improve on their
homeless data collection, this one-day count does not provide a full or accurate landscape of
the actual number of people experiencing homelessness in a community. It is a mere
"snapshot" of the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night on
a single day in a year. There has been other criticism around.the change in methodology. Within
the County of San Diego, there have been changes in how the Regional Task Force on the
Homeless count individuals living in their vehicles or RVs as "housed" versus "homeless" or
track encampments, tents, or migrant workers. This year, the Regional Tas_k Force on the
Homeless introduced a new application called "CountingUs." However, despite its flaws
mentioned above, the results from the count are still the most reliable estimate of the number
of people experiencing homelessness in the United States and the Point-in-Count is recognized
by homeless experts and governmental entities as a valid measure to monitor national progress
on reducing the number of homeless.
Police Department
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-2170 t
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
May 7, 2020
Page 2
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2019 Annual Homeless
Assessment Report to Congress, the State of California had the highest number of homeless
with 151,278 individuals, 108,432 ofthose individuals being unsheltered. The term unsheltered
from HUD is defined as "anyone whose primary nighttime residence -where they sleep is a
place not designed or ordinarily used for sleeping, including: cars, parks, abandoned buildings,
bus or train stations, airports, camping grounds, etc." The County of San Diego has the fifth
largest homeless population in the United States with 8,102 persons experiencing
homelessness during the 2019 Point-in-Time Count and nearly 5,000 individuals were
unsheltered. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness believes that over the course of a year
20,000 individuals experience homelessness in San Diego County.
As a result of this information, the City of Carlsbad elected to develop a North County Ad Hoc
Committee where local nonprofits, city staff, and elected leaders meet and discuss the needs of
the homeless population in North County. The group has agreed on three central goals:
reducing the number of unsheltered street homelessness by 50% by January 2022; increasing
short-term housing options; and increasing long-term housing options.
Holly Nelson, Homeless Program Manager, was hired in December 2019 and organized the
2020 Point-in-Time Count for the City of Carlsbad. This event was held on Thursday, January 23
from 4-8 a.m. She hosted 45 volunteers who were compromised of community members, city
employees, police officers, local nonprofit staff, and city leadership. This was the first year that
the city staff opened the volunteer registration to the community for public participation. This
decision was well-received, and the city received praised from many community members.
Volunteers were assigned to teams of two to three people, provided a census map, and asked
to count and interview any unsheltered individuals they encountered in their designated area.
The City of Carlsbad had 17 census tracts and the highest census tracts were 179, 178.01,
198.03, 180, 198.06, and 178.13. The Homeless Outreach Team conducted additional follow-up
on Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25, 2020.
The following information reflects the 2020 Point-in-Time data from the City of Carlsbad. These
numbers were officially released by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless on April 28, 2020.
The City of Carlsbad saw a 9% decrease in both their sheltered and unsheltered numbers from
161 individuals (59 sheltered; 102 unsheltered) in 2019 to 147 individuals (53 sheltered; 94
unsheltered) in 2020.
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Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
May 7, 2020
Page 3
Demographics of Unsheltered Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in 2020:
Homeless Profile
. Chronically ( · Hom;fess '
:' 29%
Homelen
71%
----------------------·-·--·-----·-------··--·--------------·---------~-----~-~
95% of all participants interviewed were non-Veterans, 80% were male, 97% were adults, and
29% were chronically homelessness. Chronically homeless is defined as someone who has
experienced homelessness for a year or longer; or who has experienced at least four episodes
of homelessness in the last three years and has a disability. Although there was not a significant
decrease between the 2019 and 2020 numbers, there has been a 38% decrease in the overall
unsheltered homeless numbers since the 2018 PIT to present. The numbers of the unsheltered
population have varied over the years, but it is important to note that2017 is when the City of
Carlsbad took bold action on enacting both the Homeless Outreach Team and the Homeless
Response Plan. The 2018 PIT was the first official count post-implementation of those projects.
See the graph below on Carlsbad's unsheltered homeless population from 2011 to 2020 as
determined by the respective PIT's.
The City of Carlsbad's Point-in-Time Count Data from 2011 -2020: Unsheltered Population
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Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
May 7, 2020
Page 4
Additionally, when reviewing the Point-in-Time data from 2017-2020, the number of
participants who stated they were "chronically homeless" (as defined above) dropped
significantly from 72% in 2017to 29% in 2020. It is important to note that the interviews are all
self-reported by the participants.
Point-in-Time Data of Individuals who identify as Chronically Homeless
It is difficult to compare the City of Carlsbad's results to its neighboring cities because the city-
specific data has not been publicly released. The Regional Task Force on the Homeless
published regional numbers from the City of San Diego, North County Inland, North County
Coastal, South County, and East County. In reviewing the regional numbers, the County of San
Diego saw an 8% reduction in their sheltered and unsheltered population (n = 8,102 in 2019;
n = 7,486 in 2020). All regions saw a decrease in their homeless population size with the
exception of South County which saw a 10% increase. North County Coastal saw a 34%
decrease from 764 individuals in 2019 to 502 individuals in 2020. Official analysis will be
provided by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless in the upcoming months highlighting city
specific data, overall shelter versus unsheltered numbers, and regional trends.
cc: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Holly Nelson, Homeless Program Manager