REGION: Count finds 7.8 percent increase in homeless countywide

Report: 2,070 homeless live in North County

By GARY WARTH and DEBORAH SULLIVAN BRENNAN - gwarth@nctimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:07 pm

North County has 2,070 homeless people this year, compared with 1,946 last year, an increase of 6.4 percent, according to a San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless report.

Countywide, homelessness increased by nearly 8 percent from last year to this year, based on predawn counts of the homeless in January. The counts were used to prepare the task force report, released June 17.

The annual count is conducted by cities and counties nationwide for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which uses the figures to determine funding for various agencies.

HUD provides between $8 million and $15 million to San Diego County each year.

More than 400 volunteers countywide participated in this year's count, searching alleys, parks and other locations with flashlights and notebooks in the early morning hours.

In addition to helping HUD set funding levels, the count provides a conservative estimate of the number of homeless and a glimpse at the trends in homelessness around the county, said Peter Callstrom, executive director of the task force.

"We can look back over prior years and get at least a good thumbnail count of what the numbers may be," he said.

The report notes that 8,506 people were in shelters or on the street during the January count countywide, for an increase of 7.8 percent over last year's count of 7,892.

Of the overall total, the report says that 4,531 people were counted on the street, a 12.9 percent increase over last year's count of 4,014, and that 3,975 people were counted in shelters, a 2.5 percent increase over the 3,878 last year.

"The real increase came in the unsheltered, which means by and large the region maintained the amount of sheltering capacity it had, but the need and demand from homeless actually increased," said Craig Jones, associate director of Escondido-based Interfaith Community Services.

Service providers said this week they're seeing more first-time homeless and more parents with children than in recent years.

"The biggest thing that has stood out over the last year has been an increase of families as opposed to individuals, including families with two heads of households," Jones said.

Jones said his organization has seen a 50 percent to 60 percent increase in demand for meals, grocery assistance and free laundry facilities this year, suggesting that more families are stretched beyond their means.

Callstrom said the recession has swelled homeless ranks, as more low-income people without savings face wage cuts and job losses.

"We're seeing a lot more transitionally and episodically homeless people that are becoming homeless due to the economy for the first time," said Filipa Rios, director of client services for the Community Resource Center in Encinitas.

North County snapshot

The North County count of 2,070 homeless includes 1,118 living in shelters, 436 day laborers, 376 on the street and 140 living in tents or cars. Of the 1,118 people living in shelters in January, 455 of them were in Escondido, 325 in Oceanside, 244 in Vista, 60 in Carlsbad and 34 in Encinitas. The homeless living on the street included 20 in Carlsbad, five in Del Mar, 54 in Encinitas, 117 in Escondido, 122 in Oceanside, 17 in San Marcos, four in Solana Beach and 37 in Vista.

Compared with the 2009 count, homeless people increased from 114 to 201 in Carlsbad, from one to five in Del Mar, from 396 to 524 in Oceanside, from 22 to 56 in San Marcos and from two to 15 in Solana Beach.

Homeless people decreased from 219 to 176 in Encinitas, from 799 to 741 in Escondido and from 393 to 332 in Vista. Service providers said the decreases might reflect efforts to keep people in their homes with temporary assistance through the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program.

Call staff writer Gary Warth at 760-740-5410. Call staff writer Deborah Sullivan Brennan at 760-740-5420.