The number of people living on the streets of San Joaquin County fell sharply over the last two years where more are living in sheltered housing, according to the county’s latest headcount tracking homelessness released this week.
The Point-In-Time Count, a federally-mandated recording of a county’s homeless population that must be done every two years, was carried out by hundreds of volunteers during an early morning in January, tallied 1,838 unsheltered people, or those who live in tents, cars or on sidewalks. It’s a 47% decrease from 2024, where the number stood at 3,469.
“We all figured there was going to be a decrease … but to see that big of a drop, it was really quite remarkable,” said Dawn McLeish, deputy director with the human services agency that provides administrative support to the San Joaquin Continuum of Care system, which coordinates homelessness services.
Released Monday, the count in total found 3,306 people were without housing, a 30% decrease from two years prior when a record 4,732 people were reported.
As for those who are sheltered, the count tracked a 16% increase from 2024, where 1,468 people at that point in January lived in an emergency shelter or temporary housing.
McLeish said the decline comes from an uptick in housing units and beds across the county, including more than 200 emergency shelter beds and over 800 units of other permanent housing for transitional-age youth and for people in recovery added in the past two years.
“Each city has really stepped up to the plate,” McLeish said. “Everybody putting in their best foot really got us somewhere.”
Survey questions in 2026, McLeish said, were “pretty much the same,” with the only addition being a question about whether the person had pets to assess if that was a barrier for entering a shelter. The methodology and the number of volunteers also remained the same, she added.
Yet today’s numbers are still nowhere near what they were a decade ago. In 2015, the number of people living without permanent housing was 1,708, where nearly 70% were sheltered.
Based on this year’s preliminary data, it’s seniors who account for a large portion of the homeless population, many who can’t afford housing based on Social Security income alone, McLeish said.
“This is a big win … but the work isn’t done,” she said.
Money available going forward may also become tight. McLeish said one-time funds helped move the effort forward, but that source may not be available again.
“So we are back to trying to do the most with what we have available,” she said.
A more comprehensive survey of this year’s results, to include city specific and demographic data, is expected to be released in June, with results unpacking factors driving homelessness, McLeish said.
The latest count will likely show higher numbers in Stockton, owing to it being the largest city in the county, she said. Yet the city has “done a lot to address” homelessness, with Stockton’s specific counts appearing to align with the drop seen across the county.
“These raw numbers just give a glimpse and a snapshot of where we’re at,” McLeish said. “But to really be able to effectively adjust strategies, we need to see that deeper dive. “