Contra Costa Inter Jurisdictional Council on Homelessness

Homeless Count 2013 Background The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) to conduct a biannual census of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The count is conducted on one day/night during the last week of January. As such, the data collected is a point in time (PIT) count and is therefore not meant to represent the number of individuals who experience homelessness over the course of a year. This years count took place on the night of January 29, 2013 and the morning of January 30, 2013. Overall, the count will aid in the updating and implementation of the 10 year plan to end homelessness, which will assess our progress in accomplishing the goals of the plan towards ending homelessness in our community. Methodology: Sheltered Point in Time Count For the sheltered homeless population, Contra Costa County conducted a single day PIT count through HMIS reports, supplemented by a survey administered to all service providers in the county. Each provider was asked to report how many people were sheltered in their program that night, broken down by age category and household type: Age Categories: o The number of children under age 18 o The number of adults ages 18 to 24 o The number of adults over age 24 Household Categories: o Households with at least one adult and one child o Households without children o Households with only children (including one child households and multi child households) The surveys and HMIS reports also captured subpopulation data for chronically homeless individuals and families, male and female veterans, severely mentally ill persons, chronic substance abuse, persons with HIV/AIDS, and victims of domestic violence (optional reporting). Methodology: Unsheltered Point in Time Count For the unsheltered homeless count, a combination of two sources was used: a PIT headcount by community volunteers, and an Outreach Team survey of encampments. The count was held
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from 6:30 am to 8:30 am on January 30, 2013, a short time frame to reduce the chances of counting persons twice. The county was divided into small sections easily covered by teams of volunteers, who were trained on the use of highlighted maps of their counting areas. Outreach Teams also received training, and coordinated outreach efforts to all of the known encampment areas in the county. In addition to a head count of homeless persons, the Outreach Teams conducted subpopulation data surveys with approximately every fifth person they encountered. Comparison to Past Counts: Notable Findings The 2013 count found an overall decrease of 476 individuals experiencing homelessness, from 4,274 persons in 2011 to 3,798 persons in 2013. The 2013 count found 336 fewer sheltered homeless persons than in 2011. This was due to differences in the number of sheltered homeless persons reported by supportive services only programs, as well as a decrease in the number of sheltered homeless children reported by the school districts. The 2013 count found a decrease of 140 unsheltered homeless persons. This is due largely to the decrease in unsheltered persons living in encampments, from 1,031 persons in 2011 to 747 persons in 2013.1 55% of unsheltered homeless persons were encountered in encampments, compared to 69% in 2011. This year, HUDs age categories included transition age youth ages 18 to 24. Our increased efforts to count transition age youth resulted in identifying 157 more sheltered TAY than in 2011. Sheltered and Unsheltered Totals Sheltered Homeless Persons Unsheltered Homeless Persons Total Sheltered Homeless Household Details Families (at least one adult and one child) Households without children Households with only children Transition Age Youth Unsheltered Homeless Details Homeless Persons in Encampments 2009 1952 1872 3824 2011 2784 1490 4274 2013 2448 1350 3798

2009 2011 2013 414 1307 858 1473 1422 1161 9 11 65 44 201 2009 2011 2013 1066 1031 747

Note: unsheltered headcounts typically result in undercounts, especially of recently homeless individuals and families, who often sleep in vehicles and are more difficult for community volunteers to identify and count. If, for example, Contra Costa County is experiencing an increase in the incidence of recently homeless individuals and families, that fact will not be accurately reflected in the PIT Count because those individuals and families are less likely to be identified and counted.
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Unsheltered Count by County Region The following is the number of unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness in each region of Contra Costa County, including by city. Compared to the 2011 count, there were more persons counted in East County, and decreases in Central and West County. This may be explained by encampment locations shifting away from Central and West County, as well as larger demographic trends, such as higher population growth rates in East County. Unsheltered Homeless by County Region East County Central County West County 2009 434 700 738 2011 232 677 581 2013 558 416 376

West County 376

East County 558

Central County 416

Central County City Alamo Concord Danville Martinez Pacheco Pleasant Hill San Ramon Walnut Creek Total East County City Antioch Bay Point Bethel Island Brentwood Byron Discovery Bay Oakley Pittsburg Total

Total 0 223 4 69 35 53 4 28 416

West County City Crockett El Cerrito El Sobrante Hercules North Richmond Pinole Richmond Rodeo San Pablo Total

Total 19 27 48 18 13 20 142 3 86 376

Total 245 66 25 48 3 1 60 110 558

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Homeless Subpopulation Data The following data for various subpopulation types were calculated through the use of HMIS data, service provider surveys, and Outreach Team surveys. Please note that these categories are not mutually exclusive. Clients may be included in more than one subpopulation type. For the unsheltered data, two forms of data extrapolation were used. The unsheltered subpopulation data for persons in encampments was extrapolated from the Outreach Team surveys. This data may be low due to underreporting by unsheltered persons when asked to self identify with the subpopulation categories.* For example, it seems unlikely that zero (0) individuals residing in encampments suffered from severe mental illness, chronic substance abuse, or HIV/AIDS. For unsheltered persons not in encampments, the results were extrapolated from subpopulation data reported into HMIS by non housing (supportive services only) service providers. Homeless Subpopulations Chronically Homeless Individuals Chronically Homeless Families Veterans Female Veterans Severely Mentally Ill Chronic Substance Abuse Persons with HIV/AIDS Victims of Domestic Violence (optional) Sheltered 512 45 140 10 497 652 16 217 20.9% 1.8% 5.7% 0.4% 20.3% 26.6% 0.7% 8.9% Unsheltered (Encampments)* 437 0 101 0 0* 0* 0* 128 58.5% 0.0% 13.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 17.1% Unsheltered (Other) 143 23 36 2 216 199 10 102 23.7% 3.8% 6.0% 0.3% 35.8% 33.0% 1.7% 16.9% Total 1092 68 277 12 713 851 26 447 28.8% 1.8% 7.3% 0.3% 18.8% 22.4% 0.7% 11.8%

* Note: The subpopulation data for unsheltered persons in encampments is extremely low compared with other sources of subpopulation data, such as the Contra Costa County Homeless Programs annual demographics and outcomes reports, available here: http://cchealth.org/services/homeless/hmis.php For example, in FY2011 2012, 19.32% of persons served suffered from alcohol abuse, 21.02% suffered from drug abuse, 24.15% had a mental health problem, and 1.45% had HIV/AIDS. Thus, both the unsheltered encampment data, as well as the totals, are lower than other data available for the homeless population in Contra Costa County.

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