The community saw a decrease in homeless living outdoors

Carlos and Faviola with their children, Alex (9), Bruce (7,) Destiny (3) and their dog Rocky, live out of their van.

By Staff Report

Despite pandemic fears, the unhoused community in Santa Clara County experienced only a modest overall increase and saw a decrease in unsheltered individuals as officials call for more investments to keep community members from falling into homelessness

The number of unhoused community members remains relatively steady compared to 2019, according to results of the 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless census released May 16 by the county and the city of San José. The overall number of homeless individuals counted this year increased by 3 percent in the county to 10,028 and increased by 11 percent to 6,739 in San José.

At the same time, the community saw a decrease in homeless individuals living outdoors, with a 3 percent decrease in Santa Clara County and a 2 percent decrease in San José. This trend coincided with an increase in sheltered individuals in both San José and countywide, as jurisdictions across the community have expanded interim housing and temporary shelter options by 25 percent in the past three years.

“The fact we did not see a major increase in homelessness really speaks to the heroic efforts of our community to protect our lowest-income and most vulnerable residents during the pandemic,” said Miguel Márquez, J.D., chief operating officer for the county. “Still, there are more people falling into homelessness each year and we must continue investing in permanent supportive and other housing options for all members of our community.”

The preliminary data reflects investments made during the past several years to blunt the pandemic’s economic fallout, amid fears of a worsening homelessness crisis. Since 2020, the county’s supportive housing system has helped 6,890 people move from homelessness to stable housing and has prevented homelessness for thousands of households.

In the five years since the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond was passed by voters, the county has committed $588 million to build and renovate nearly 4,500 units in 41 developments across eight cities.

Despite these efforts, the crisis persists because thousands of residents continue to fall into homelessness each year and more are on the brink of losing their homes — a result of deep, longstanding social inequities that include rising economic inequality, federal underinvestment in safety nets, and a lack of affordable housing, according to the county’s press release.

The region suffers from the greatest income inequality in the nation. According to a 2021 analysis by the Brookings Institution, of the 53 largest metro areas in the U.S., Silicon Valley ranked No. 1 in prosperity but 46th and 50th in geographic inclusion and racial inclusion, respectively.

The gap between rents and income grows larger every day. Renters in San José must now earn $54/hour $111,680/year to afford the average effective monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment.

“We will never end homelessness in our community if we don’t address the enormous systemic factors that continue pushing vulnerable families onto the streets,” said Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination: Home. “And by far, the greatest single factor driving this crisis is the severe lack of affordable housing options for our lowest-income residents. Our community must remain committed to scaling the production of more permanent affordable homes, and we need our federal and state policymakers to match this commitment by investing in ongoing, sustainable funding for proven housing solutions.”