Contact: Jennifer Harkey, VC CoC Program Director, 805-658-4342, jennifer.harkey@ventura.org
VENTURA, Calif. – The Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance has released the official results for the 2024 Ventura County Homeless Point in Time Count. The executive summary, which can be viewed here, comprises details and key findings of people experiencing homelessness who were surveyed and observed on January 24, 2024. This includes those who met the federal definition of homelessness which includes those living unsheltered or in places not meant for human habitation, as well as those staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing on the night of January 23.
During the official survey, approximately 450 volunteers assisted with the unsheltered surveys from dawn until mid-day across the county. A total of 2,358 people were counted as homeless during the point-in-time count, marking a decrease of 83 persons or -3.4% compared to 2023.
There was a noteworthy 14.7% increase in sheltered persons, from 808 in 2023 to 927 in 2024, and a 12.4% decrease in unsheltered persons, from 1,633 in 2023 to 1,431 in 2024. The investments in both congregate and non-congregate emergency shelter beds contributed to these improvements. Also, the decrease of unsheltered individuals can be attributed to the influx of Emergency Housing Vouchers resulting in more permanent housing placements as well as a more effective survey method to reduce the number of observations which cannot be deduplicated.
The Point in Time count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for communities to be eligible for federal grants addressing homelessness. The Ventura County Continuum of Care receives federal and state grant funding each year to provide emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, homeless prevention, street outreach, and permanent supportive housing programs. The data from the annual count helps determine gaps and trends to help community leaders allocate funding for the highest needs.
Key Takeaways:
1) The decrease in homelessness is encouraging and with the Ventura County Board of Supervisors’ actions to increase prevention efforts and permanent housing solutions with supportive services we are hopeful that this trend will continue.
2) The increase in sheltered individuals points to the success of emergency shelter programs to provide case management and help transition unhoused people to stable housing.
3) Improved data collection through enhanced survey methodologies have yielded a more detailed data analysis for tailoring future interventions.
The full report with details from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and other data sources will be released in May 2024. A State of Homelessness presentation will be provided to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors in May 2024 as well. For more information, please visit the Ventura County Continuum of Care (VC CoC) website at www.venturacoc.org.
