At a time when homelessness is rising in many municipalities across California, San Benito County bucked the trend with a 19 percent decline, according to the 2017 Homeless Census & Survey, a biennial report released by the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, a Marina-based nonprofit that oversees homeless services in Monterey and San Benito counties.
The homeless population fell from 651 in 2015, which is when the last census was released, to 527. Within the homeless population, 77 percent were unsheltered and 23 percent were sheltered, there were slightly more men than women. An estimated 41 percent of those surveyed said they had been homeless more six times or more in their life.
The report also found that 73 percent of the population had been homeless for more than a year, 73 percent can’t afford the local rent and 82 percent were unemployed.
Katherine Thoeni, executive officer of the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, attributed the decline to concerted efforts by the county to increase services to the homeless, especially those categorized as the chronically homeless.
While San Benito County suffers from similar problems as nearby Monterey County, namely a severe shortage of affordable housing, high rents and a dearth of landlords who accept housing vouchers, the county stepped up efforts to get the homeless in transitional housing and linked with social services.
“I know they (San Benito County) have had very good success in a change in the way they run and change their winter warming shelter. The warming shelter is run very well by the health and human resources,” said Thoeni, noting the shelter is broken down to a family winter shelter and individual warming shelter. “They (the county) have been able to work through the winter season to provide a extraordinarily high number of services.”
Thoeni added that the county has been successful in placing those in the shelter into permanent housing.
“It is really to be applauded, this is a success story,” she said.
The warming shelter is funded by the county and from the federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG).
Jim Rydingsword, director for the county’s health and human services department, attributed the drop in homelessness to increasing efforts to find long term housing and solutions for the homeless. An example, is working with people to find different income sources including social security.
“We really tried to be as innovative as we can to find housing one way or the other,” said Rydingsword. “It’s just trying to pay more attention and trying to work more closely with agencies.”
Importantly, the “county and the city have been consistent in staying with what they asked us to do,” he added.
Rydingsword said a permanent shelter at 1161 San Felipe Rd. will open in December, and the agency is adding another three full-time staff for social services. The agency also facilitates a community group, that includes representatives from behavioral health, nonprofits and food pantries, that has been meeting monthly since 2014 to share potential solutions. That said, he said there remains “a lot of work to be done.”
Rydingsword will make a presentation about the 2017 homeless census at the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 27.
To read the 2017 Homeless Census go to www.chspmontereycounty.org.