Report: 1,006 people experiencing homelessness
A draft report of people experiencing homelessness in Butte County counted 1,006 people living in either an emergency shelter, transitional housing or without a home.
The report called the point-in-time count was shown at a Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care meeting Monday and was reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for review.
The draft reports census data of homeless people in Butte County collected in a single day of counting on Jan. 26, 2022 from Continuum of Care homeless service providers and volunteers.
“While we may not capture the numbers very accurately, we know that we’re conservative. We know that the numbers are going to be more, no matter what,” said Ed Mayer, Continuum of Care committee vice-chair and director of the Butte County Housing Authority.
The draft report said that of the total 1,006 people experiencing homelessness in Butte County, 244 reside in an emergency shelter, 174 reside in transitional housing and 588 reside unsheltered.
Three hundred and twenty-four people were reported to be chronically homeless; 68 people reside in an emergency shelter and 256 reside unsheltered including two people under the age of 18.
Broken into subpopulations, the draft reports 257 people to be severely mentally ill; 172 people to be experiencing chronic substance abuse; 39 people to be veterans; 91 people to victims of domestic abuse — 66 of whom are unsheltered; and 41 unaccompanied youth up to 24 years old.
The data provided by the draft is not complete, and a full report of the point-intime count will be released at the next Continuum of Care meeting, Mayer said. It will include an evaluation of homeless services, resources in the county and identify gaps between services.
“The point-in-time count is very important because it helps us not just identify in present time what we’re working with, but it helps identify trends — is it getting worse, is it getting better,” Mayer said.
The Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care will have its next meeting 1 to 3 p.m. June 13 online. Online meeting information can be found https://www.buttehomelesscoc.com.