The results of the latest Sacramento County homeless "point-in-time" count show drastic increases in the number of people who live on our streets.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Monday called it a "sobering" and "damning" report, and Steinberg said the every-two-year count, which shows a 30 percent rise in the number of people who live on the street to nearly 3,700 means it is not a time for celebration or pats on the back.
The heavy rains around the time of the count sent a lot of people to higher ground, which helped counters find them, but that likely more accurate count also finds an 85 percent jump in the number that goes without shelter to more than 2,000.
Photo by Ryan Harris, KFBK
Ryan Loofbourrow, director of Sacramento Steps Forward, said most troublesome to him is the number of those considered "chronically homeless". "31 percent chronically homeless - those are all individuals," Loofbourrow added, "31 percent of that total population have been homeless for more than a year and have a diagnosed disability, that's concerning."
Loofbourrow expects the number to rise even more - as long as the expensive housing market makes it harder for people to get into or stay in a permanent home.