Overview
- Volunteers are canvassing mornings and evenings from six hubs over three days, starting in Central Orange County on Tuesday, moving north on Wednesday, and finishing in the south on Thursday after a shelter tally Monday night.
- This is the first count since the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling, with several cities expanding anti-camping rules that could affect where people sleep and their willingness to be surveyed.
- HUD requires the biennial census, and county leaders say accurate data determines state and federal allocations and pinpoints needs by population and location.
- The 2024 count reported more than 7,300 people experiencing homelessness, about a 28% rise from 2022, and highlighted severe limits on placements into permanent housing.
- Service providers warn potential Continuum of Care cuts could push roughly 1,400 households into homelessness, noting coalition data that about 17,000 residents lost housing in 2025, with 2026 results expected in early summer.