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Agenda Report
July 8, 2024
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TO: hlonorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Department of Housing
THROUGH: Economic Development & Technology Committee (June 18, 2024) SUBJECT: 2024 PASADENA HOMELESS COUNT RESULTS
RECOMMENDATION:
The following report is for information only; no action is required.
BACKGROUND:
The 2024 Pasadena Homeless Count was conducted on the night of Tuesday,January 23, 2024, with the "night" beginning at sunset on January 23 and ending on January 24.
The Homeless Count is one of the many data sources staff use to measure the prevalence of homelessness in the City and to inform strategic planning. While the City's homeless population fluctuates throughout the year, the count acts as a "snapshot in time" to collect information from people who are living in unsheltered locations (the "unsheltered count") and temporary shelter (the "sheltered count"). Data collected allows staff to quantify the size of the City's homeless population on any given night and provides detailed information about this population's characteristics and experiences. While the count does not reflect the total number of people who experience homelessness throughout the year, the results are particularly useful for tracking trends over time, learning about the demographics of our homeless population, and as a tool to identify disparities.
During the unsheltered count, over 200 volunteers and professional homeless service workers conducted a robust canvassing of the entire geography of the City, surveying people sleeping on the street, in parks and vehicles, and other areas not meant for human habitation. For the second year, in collaboration with the Public Health Department, the PORT team and Huntington Hospital, two vaccine strike teams were deployed during the unsheltered count and provided COVID and flu vaccines as well as anti-overdose naloxone kits to those who wanted them.
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MEETING OF.7/8/2024AGENDA ITEM NO. __12.__
2024 Pasadena Homeless Count Results
July 8, 2024
The sheltered count is derived from client-level data entered into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database by homeless service providers on people who are staying in temporary shelter locations including congregate emergency shelters, transitional housing, and motels. People who are living doubled-up with family or friends or who are "couch surfing" are not included in the count, as HUD considers these individuals to be at-risk of homelessness and not literally homeless for the purposes of the count. Results from the Homeless Count contribute to regional, state and national data on homelessness and are used by public funders to allocate resources to the City.
HOMELESS COUNT RESULTS:
Overall point-in-time count is stable. On the night of the 2024 Homeless Count, 556 people were experiencing homelessness in Pasadena, which is the same number as in 2023. While the number of people experiencing homelessness was unchanged, there were significant shifts under the surface.
Progress in key subpopulations. Chronic homelessness, defined as more than twelve months of homelessness with a disability, fell by 19% (298 in 2023; 240 in 2024). This year marked the first time in six years that chronic homelessness fell below 50% (now 43%) of the overall homeless population. Additionally, veteran homelessness fell by 20% (40 in 2023; 32 in 2024).
• Sheltered homelessness slightly lower. Sheltered homelessness fell by 7% (253 in 2023;235 in 2024), which was expected. The end of pandemic-related funding led to a reduction in shelter resources since the 2023 count. Additionally, the count took place during a transitional period for the City's weather-activated shelter system. The Bad Weather Shelter was only in its second week of operation at its new location on the night of the 2024 Homeless Count, while typically the count takes place six to seven weeks into the shelter season.
Shelter utilization increases throughout the season, so the timing of the opening of the Bad Weather Shelter likely resulted in fewer people sheltered on the night of the count.
Shifts within the unsheltered population. The 2024 count saw a slight reduction in street homelessness (153 in 2023 vs. 132 in 2024), while more people were found to be sleeping in cars or RVs (32 in 2023; 51 in 2024).
Similarly, more people were sleeping outdoors at faith-based locations (1 1 in 2023; 23 in 2024).
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS:
People experiencing homelessness are long-time Pasadenans. Over half (56%) of unsheltered people surveyed were last housed in Pasadena and were residents for an average of 22 years before losing their housing. 2024 Pasadena hlomeless Count Results
July 8, 2024
•Racial and ethnic disparities remain. People of color continue to be overrepresented in our homeless population as a result of longstanding systemic racism and persistent inequity in the housing sector. Only 8% of Pasadena's general population is Black, yet Black people make up 27% of the City's homeless population.
Hispanic/Latino people now make up nearly half (46%) of the homeless population, while only 35% of Pasadena's general population is Hispanic/Latino.
This increase in Hispanic/Latino homelessness has also occurred across Los Angeles County (26% increase from 2020 to 2022) and the nation (8% increase from 2020 to 2022).
Key differences between single adult homelessness and family homelessness. Unhoused single adults are significantly more likely to be experiencing chronic homelessness compared to people in unhoused families (52% vs. 2%). Unhoused single adults are also more likely to be Black (29% vs. 20%) and veterans (7% vs 2%) than people in families experiencing homelessness. People in unhoused families are more likely to be Hispanic/Latino than single adults experiencing homelessness (64% vs. 42%). Notably, people in families are nearly five times as likely to have fallen into homelessness for the first time compared to single adults (52% vs. 11%).
Increases in first-time homelessness and people fleeing domestic violence.
The number of people becoming unhoused for the first time (91 in 2024) continues to rise as pandemic-era tenant protections and supports have come to an end, nearing pre-pandemic levels (99 in 2020). The number of people experiencing homelessness as a result of fleeing domestic violence (143 in 2024) has sharply risen in recent years and is now more than double pre-pandemic levels (68 in 2020).
PERMANENT HOUSING SUCCESSES
Record number of people permanently housed. In 2023, 410 Pasadenans experiencing homelessness were permanently housed, a 32% increase over 2022. Ninety percent (367) were housed through Pasadena-based projects, such as The Salvation Army Hope Center and new rental assistance vouchers. 2024 Pasadena Homeless Count Results
July 8, 2024
The 2024 Homeless Count results are available for public viewing on the Pasadena Homeless Count website atwww.pasadenahomelesscount.org.
Respectfully submitted,
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for WILLIAM K. HUANG
Housing Director
Prepared by:
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Jennifer O'Reilly-Jones
Program Coordinator III
Approved by:
?IARQUEZ
City Manager