Residents in RVs driving up homeless numbers

San Mateo County sees homeless increase 21% over past two years

Mirroring spikes seen across the entire Bay Area, the number of homeless residents in San Mateo County rose 21 percent over the past two years, according to new figures released Monday.

County officials say the evergrowing number of residents moving into RVs is playing a large role.

The number of homeless people living on the streets, in vehicles or in shelters in San Mateo County jumped from 1,253 in 2017 to 1,512 in 2019, according to the 2019 point-in-time homeless count — a federally mandated survey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The overall increase was driven largely by a 127 percent increase in the number of people living in RVs, which now totals at least 494 residents, according to the county’s human services agency.

The count found 901 unsheltered homeless people living on streets, in vehicles or in homeless encampments and 611 people living in homeless shelters and transitional housing.

While the overall homeless population rose, the number of families living on the streets and the number of people sleeping in tents both slightly declined from 2017, according to the survey.

San Mateo County’s report comes about a month after surveys in both the South Bay and East Bay showed that the homeless population also shot up dramatically in those areas.

This year’s tallies found that the homeless population rose 43 percent over the past two years in both Alameda and Contra Costa counties and 31 percent in Santa Clara County.

Although nearly every city in San Mateo County saw an increase in homelessness, some experienced a larger uptick than others. For instance, the homeless population in Daly City rose 288 percent — from 17 in 2017 to 66 in 2019 — and in Redwood City rose 135 percent — from 94 in 2017 to 221 in 2019.

Redwood City Mayor Ian Bain said in an interview Monday that homelessness needs to be tackled from a regional approach.

“It’s a much bigger problem than something we can solve on our own because they may be Menlo Park residents tomorrow or Palo Alto residents the next day,” Bain said.

The high cost and low availability of housing within the county have played a large role in the uptick of homelessness, according to Ken Cole, director of the county’s department of housing.

Over the past three years, the cost of rent for a studio apartment in San Mateo County has risen 47 percent, according to the county’s human services agency.

Cole said low-wage earning employees are getting “squeezed out” of the housing market primarily by those in the tech sector — forcing them to resort to other options like RVs.

“People have to opt for something,” Cole said. “So I think what we’re seeing throughout California and in our higher priced marketplaces for housing, people find purchasing an older mobile home as a viable alternative for themselves or their family.

As more Bay Area residents move into RVs as one of the last remaining affordable ways to stay in the area, some cities have begun establishing new policies and programs that place greater restrictions on the parking of such vehicles on city streets while also trying to offer residents more services to find stable housing again.

For example, East Palo Alto banned overnight RV parking on its city streets last year. Then in May, the city opened its first safe parking site for some RVs. The site accommodates 16 RVs with designated overnight parking space and provides residents with access to restrooms, portable showers and laundry services. Residents using the lot are required to work with social workers from Project WeHOPE, an East Palo Alto emergency and supportive housing shelter, to help them secure permanent housing.

Angie Evans, an organizer at the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, said that safe parking programs provide relief to the area’s homelessness and housing crisis but cities should not rely on them.

“We can’t just focus on stop gap measures and lose sight of the fact that these people all deserve stable housing,” Evans said. “We have to build permanently affordable housing for everyone.”

Cole, director of the county’s department of housing, said the county will use the newly released data to guide its policies and strategies moving forward, including developing a better understanding of the population of residents living in RVs and what their needs are.

“We’re swimming against a tide that is extremely strong in the Bay Area, and we don’t have the ability to profoundly change the marketplace,” Cole said, “so it’s going to take a lot of creativity and it’s not going to happen overnight.”