Abstract
Every two years Sacramento County and its incorporated cities undertake an extensive effort to document every individual in the county experiencing homelessness during a twenty-four-hour period. This effort, known as the “Point-in-Time Homeless Count” (Homeless Count), provides a single-night snapshot of nearly all individuals and families staying at emergency/transitional shelters in the county, as well as those sleeping outside, in tents or vehicles, under bridges, or other places not meant for human habitation. Homeless Counts are coordinated across the nation to fulfill a federal funding requirement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, the Homeless Count is also a detailed and timely information source for local stakeholders and the broader community to assess the state of homelessness in their region. Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) has partnered for a second time with faculty researchers from Sacramento State University and the Institute for Social Research, to develop and implement the 2019 Homeless Count for Sacramento County. This year’s Homeless Count was a much more ambitious endeavor than previous years—deploying new statistical methods as well as greater community engagement to improve the scope of the count. Approximately 900 community volunteers participated in the 2019 Homeless Count, who collectively walked 462 miles of canvassing routes, to talk and engage with some of the most marginalized members of our community. This report summarizes some of the key findings from these efforts as well as general conclusions about the state of homelessness in Sacramento County.