Homeless Count Rises In Palm Desert, Across Much Of Coachella Valley

Palm Desert CA

24 May, 2022

7:09 PM

Description

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The number of homeless people living on the streets and in vacant lots in most Coachella Valley cities has increased, according to the "Riverside County Point in Time Count" results released Tuesday. While the numbers provide only a snapshot in time, the results showed 498 unsheltered people were encountered by Point in Time volunteers during the February 23-25 counts in the cities of Cathedral City, Coachella, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. The county's 2021 Point in Time Count was canceled due to coronavirus. Instead, a sheltered count was conducted where data was gathered based on shelter bed occupation. In 2020, however, a complete count was conducted. It found 434 people living without shelter across the eight cities. The Point in Time Count is federally mandated and is used to demonstrate the need for federal and state funding, services and resource planning. According to the 2022 data, only Coachella, Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage experienced decreases in unsheltered people: Data from Riverside County's 2022 Point in Time Count. It's unclear how many people living on the streets in 2020 remained, were in shelters, left the area, or found housing. Countywide counts for 2022 were unlike those found in the Coachella Valley. For the first time in six years, the countywide results revealed an 8 decrease in the number of people living without shelter. The decrease in unsheltered populations was "the result of steep housing investments made with $196 million in COVID-19 relief funding that helped 26,665 households remain housed during the pandemic," according to the county. When taking into consideration people living in shelters, the countywide numbers were higher in 2022. This year's count identified a total of 3,316 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people throughout the county, which is 15 percent higher than the count in 2020 that found 2,884 people on the streets and in shelters. Compared to 2020, the sheltered count increased 83 percent from 729 to 1,336 countywide. The sheltered count consists of information from a countywide homeless management system, as well as data from agencies that operate emergency domestic violence shelters, according to the county. During the 2022 count, more than 625 volunteers fanned out across the county to interview unsheltered individuals and families. In addition to the interviews, volunteers offered residents experiencing homelessness services like housing, animal services, medical services and help obtaining documents. As a result, 49 percent of those interviewed during the general count signed up to receive follow-up services, the county reported. "It was very important to not just interview persons experiencing homelessness, but to also connect them to services," said Heidi Marshall, director of the county's Housing and Workforce Solutions. "The results of the count serve as a tool for effective planning and performance management toward the goal of ending homelessness for our community." The complete Point in Time Count results can be found here: morethanacount.org.