Survey finds 29% drop in Sacramento County’s homeless population, following years of growth

By Chris Nichols | Solving Sacramento (From left) Volunteers Johnny Wong and Sarah Danon interview Alicia Garcia and Robert Penn, who both live under the Howe Avenue bridge, during the Point-in-Time count of people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento Jan. 24, 2024. Fred Greaves, Solving Sacramento Rows of RVs, tent encampments and other make-shift homes still line Sacramento County’s streets and sidewalks, as they have for years. But progress on the region’s vexing homelessness crisis is underway, according to a closely-watched report released on Wednesday. The county’s unhoused population dropped 29% over the past two years — to an estimated 6,615 people, breaking a trend of surging homelessness numbers, according to the 2024 Point In Time Count.  It’s one of the largest reductions in homelessness statewide after Sacramento County made headlines two years ago for one of the biggest increases, a 67% spike compared with its 2019 survey. This year’s report found a 41% drop in “unsheltered” individuals, or people on the street, in vehicles and abandoned buildings. That reduction was larger than the overall population decline.& !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r