Coalition of Homeless Services Providers executive director Katrina McKenzie presents the 2026 Homeless Point-in-Time count report to the Board of Supervisors. Photo by Madison Kirkpatrick.

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This year’s homeless point-in-time count, conducted on Jan. 26, showed a 57 percent decrease in overall homelessness in San Benito County from the 2024 count.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors heard the results of this year’s count during their Nov. 3 meeting after the presentation was rescheduled from Oct. 10.

A “snapshot of homelessness” that is taken in a single day, according to Katrina McKenzie, executive director of the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, the point in time count is followed by an extended survey period, which this year occurred in February.

Enrique Arreola, deputy director of San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency, said the drop in homelessness could be attributed to the reduction in river encampments as well as continued service expansion and point-in-time count coverage. 

Supervisor Mindy Sotelo, too, said that as a result of the river cleanup, the number of homeless people may be higher than the count suggests.

According to McKenzie, San Benito County is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to conduct a point-in-time count of the homeless population every two years. 

The point-in-time count also helps establish funding, program planning, policy development, advocacy and trend analysis, McKenzie said.

According to the staff report, the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency engaged more than 50 volunteers to complete the count in 2026.

McKenzie said the county identified 267 people who were experiencing homelessness, down from 621 in 2024. Though 74 percent of the local homeless population identified as unsheltered, “There has been great work taking place in San Benito County,” she said

The number of people using shelters decreased from 125 to 69, according to the report, though McKenzie attributed that to the closure of the winter shelter and said the county will continue to look into interventions.

Between 2024 and 2026, chronic homelessness declined by 83 percent, homelessness among veterans fell 76 percent and family homelessness decreased by 82 percent, McKenzie noted.

Despite “encouraging” declines, 48 people still experienced chronic homelessness, she said. This is defined as a person with a disability, someone living in a place that is not meant for human habitation, or a person who has spent 12 consecutive months homeless (or occurrences of homelessness that total 12 months in three years).

According to McKenzie, the five known local homeless veterans were unsheltered and all 16 known local families were sheltered, with permanent housing “remaining the next critical step.”

James Connery, senior data analyst with Applied Survey Research, spoke about the survey conducted in the weeks following the count. He said eighty-two percent of respondents said they lived in the county when they became homeless and 74 percent said they had been homeless for a year or more, adding that 61 percent of respondents were more than 25 years of age. 

The most frequent problem that led to homelessness was financial issues, according to the report. Connery said 68 percent of respondents also reported receiving government benefits. 

Of those who did not receive government assistance, the report said that 27 percent had never applied, 20 percent had no identification, 20 percent did not believe they were eligible, 17 percent had no permanent address, and 17 percent felt the paperwork was too difficult. 

“These findings highlight better opportunities to connect individuals with services,” Connery said.

From 2017 to 2026, overall homelessness in San Benito County has decreased by 49.3 percent, according to Connery, and this year’s total was the lowest recorded since 2017.

Arreola noted the county shelter is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week thanks to additional funding. In the past, its operating hours were from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. 

Local residents face “quite a bit of challenges” in their transition to housing, Arreola said. In order to afford a two-bedroom rental in the county, a household must make $55.81 an hour. In addition, he said, noting the fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental is $2,902 a month. 

But “we have had successes” in the form of new housing developments, he said, including the Southside Haven Community permanent supportive housing and two homes on Chappell Road. 

In the future, there will be a larger affordable housing project on Chappell Road, he added.

“It’s nice to see the numbers have gone down,” Sotelo said, noting she is seeing a trend. 

Sotelo asked Arreola about county outreach efforts, saying she was curious where staff have gone in addition to the river encampment. 

“I think we do a really good job,” he replied, noting that about 13 groups of volunteers “touched every census trend” in the county to get a lower count, engaging with homeless people of all ages and shelter types. 

Sotelo asked about the confidence in the numbers from the count. The margin of error is difficult to determine, Connery said, adding that all continuums of care across the state, otherwise known as state systems that track and support individuals over time, are addressing homelessness and the task of completing a count is becoming more challenging.

Arreola said more people have found shelter, as there are between 48 and 52 beds currently filled at the shelter. He said he expects every bed to be full soon. 

“There’s no perfect science,” Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki said, adding that he didn’t think it was worth getting too excited or discouraged about the results. He said he was glad the river was cleared out, noting the community “was calling for it for quite some time” and he was especially glad it was done ahead of the El Niño storms.

Supervisor Angela Curro shared her concern about the homeless veterans numbers, asking what the county can do to support them further. “These are the people that have kept us safe in this country” and have gone above and beyond, she said.

McKenzie said veterans can become part of the county’s care system. There is communication with Health and Human Services staff about how to connect veterans to those services, she said. “We are really working hard,” she said, to bridge the gap between behavioral health and the homeless network.

The next Point-in-Time count is planned for 2028.

Southside Haven Community supportive housing project was recently completed. Photo by Emerson Prentice.

The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.