Sonoma County reports 23% drop in homeless population, but skepticism remains
Sonoma County reports 23% drop in homeless population, but skepticism remains
Sonoma County officials say efforts to reduce homelessness appear to be paying off, citing a 23% drop in the number of people living on the streets compared to last year.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Sonoma County officials say efforts to reduce homelessness appear to be paying off, citing a 23% drop in the number of people living on the streets compared to last year.
The decline follows steps taken by the county to dismantle large homeless encampments, including one along the Joe Rodota Trail in Santa Rosa. On Tuesday morning, Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies were seen asking unhoused individuals lingering on the trail to leave, even if they had not yet set up tents.
The new figures come from the county's annual "point-in-time" survey conducted in January, when volunteers and officials canvassed the area to estimate the number of unhoused residents.
The count found approximately 570 fewer people experiencing homelessness compared to the same time last year.
According to Sonoma County, the total number of unhoused and emergency sheltered people added up to approximately 1.952 — the lowest figure recorded since the survey began in 2007.
County officials credit the decline, in part, to increased housing options.
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"A big reason is we added about 400 permanent beds last year," said Michael Gause, Sonoma County’s Ending Homelessness Manager. "Permanent supportive housing funded through state and federal sources was a big help."
Individuals who transition into permanent housing are no longer classified as homeless.
However, some unhoused residents question the county’s narrative.
"They chase everybody away. It’s not that they house them," said Nina Butterfly, who lives on the streets of Santa Rosa.
Another Santa Rosa resident, Justin Hamilton, expressed concern that the true number of homeless individuals may be undercounted.
"We hide our encampments because of the fear — arresting us," Hamilton said. "Most people are hidden. A lot of us are hiding because of them… too many hidden people to be able to count."
Gause acknowledged that some unhoused individuals may have intentionally avoided being counted but said many remain connected to service providers.
"People are probably more dispersed, but a lot of the folks who were living on the trail previously are connected to service providers who at least know where they are," Gause said.
This year’s survey is the first since a June 28, 2024, U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows local authorities to cite and arrest people for camping on public property, a decision that homeless rights advocates say may have made encampments more scattered and people living in them more difficult to count.
While officials celebrated the reduction in homelessness, they also cautioned that progress could be reversed.
"We also need to remember that we are losing funding all around the system due to state and federal funding cuts, and this progress that we are celebrating today can be easily turned around," Nolan Sullivan, Sonoma County’s Health Services Director, said in a statement.