SAVS Executive Director View on Point in Time Count

Sonoma County’s Point in Time Count for 2026

I often feel this is an undercount and, due to Federal guidelines, they don’t consider the many people who are couch surfing or 1 week away from losing their housing – people who might be called “At Risk of Homelessness”.   With that said. . .

Seventeen things that jumped out at me about homeless people in Sonoma County:

1. Total number of homeless people (1951) – the same as last year
2. Less than 1/2 have shelter – also the same
3. 45% homeless before age 25.
4. 15% part of the LGBTIQ community
5. 21% been in foster care
6. 31% BIPOC (Latinx, Native American and other non-white identities)
7. 90% housed in Sonoma County when they lost their homes
8. Most common reason for homelessness: Lost Job
9. Most common reason keeping people from housing:  No job, High rent
10. 16% employed.  59% looking for work
11. 31% spent 1 or more nights in some kind of jail in the last year
12. 30% physical disability; 20% traumatic brain injury
13. 49% live with psychiatric or emotional condition
14. 75% live with a disability
15. Number of families (42) decreased.  All are in shelter
16. Number of unaccompanied children and young people under 25 (168) rose.  74% not sheltered.
17. Number of people who are homeless for a year or more continues to rise.

There’s a lot to be said about each one of these statistics and the report gives you more about each one.   

My personal focus today is this:

1) The number of unaccompanied children and young people under 25 ~ 74% are unsheltered.

There were 11 unaccompanied children experiencing homelessness, and 157 transition age youth.  The county and research group made a huge effort to reach these young people. Special youth teams canvassed specific areas where youth and young adults were known to hang out. As a result, we have these alarming numbers.  Most of us in the homeless service community do not know where to find these folks and they rarely show up at our offices and day centers.  They simply don’t hang out with the older homeless people.  It’s likely many of the 21% of homeless people who came from a foster home are part of this young people’s group.  Young people are at a crucial time in their lives.  Finding homes and jobs now could mean decades of productive happy life.  Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) closed in early 2024.  This report makes is clear that our community has not picked up the slack.

2) The number of LGBTIQ homeless people – 15% 

These are my people, my community.  We don’t know how many overlap with the category of “under 25” who I just talked about.  But, it’s likely many do, given that 29% said their reason for homelessness was family and/or domestic violence.  It’s not a big leap to say that these folks were kicked out of their homes due to their sexual identity and the homophobia of their parents or foster parents.  “Positive Images” explicitly welcomes these people into their agency services and does what it can.

31% of Sonoma County’s homeless people are BIPOC!! 75% live with a disability!!  What the heck!?!?  

Why is there not an outcry from every single person in Sonoma County?

https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/CASONOMA/2026/09/24/file_attachments/3792291/Sonoma%20County%20Homeless%20Point-in-Time%20Count%20Report%202026.pdf

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