Data

Sonoma County Homeless Census and Survey

On February 25, 2022, volunteers and guides fanned out across the County of Sonoma as part of an annual, community-wide effort to understand the needs, number, and circumstances of persons experiencing homelessness. Point-in-Time Counts measure the prevalence of homelessness in each community and collect information on individuals and families residing in emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as on people sleeping on the streets, in cars, abandoned properties, or other places not meant for human habitation. In the weeks following the street count, a survey was administered to 444 unsheltered and sheltered individuals experiencing homelessness in order to profile their experience and characteristics. Visit Sonoma County's Annual Homeless Census website to read the 2022 Homeless Count Report and past reports.

Homelessness in Santa Rosa and Greater Sonoma County

By The Numbers

There has been a 36% reduction in homelessness in Sonoma County since 2011, though the problem is more visible and impacts on the entire community more apparent. Most recently, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased by approximately 5% between 2020 and 2022.

Number of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Sonoma County

2011
4,539		2013
4,280		2015
3,107		2017
2,835		2019
2,951		2020
2,745		2022
2,893


Sheltered/Unsheltered

28% Sheltered
805 individuals in emergency shelters. 
72% Unsheltered
2,088 in cars, on the street, and other public spaces not meant for human habitation. 
57% in Santa Rosa
More than half of the overall countywide homeless population reside in Santa Rosa, the largest city in Sonoma County. Of the 1,658 individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Rosa, 1,089 (66%) individuals were unsheltered. 


Results of City-Funded Programs and Initiatives for Fiscal Year 2021/22

219 Housed
1,271 Sheltered* 
3,209 Served*
Number of individuals housed through City-funded programs, including direct placements into housing through street outreach and persons exiting emergency shelter to permanent housing.Number of individuals sheltered through City-funded emergency shelters, including referrals to shelter through day services and street outreach as well as persons directly sheltered through City-funded emergency shelters and safe parking.Totality of individuals served --including those sheltered and housed -- through City-funded programs, including day services, street outreach, emergency shelter, and safe parking.

*Individuals who are served by multiple City programs are counted for each program in which they received service.

Funding - $4.9M

2022/2023 fiscal year investment in Santa Rosa's Homelessness Solutions is $4.9 million. This does not include additional investments by the City in affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and its innovative mental health response team, InRESPONSE.

City Investments Over the Past 6 Years
2017/2018
$1.6M
2018/2019
$3.4M
2019/2020
$3.4M
2020/2021
$5M
2021/2022
$7.6M*
2022/2023
$4.9M

*2021/2022 included one-time funding for the Safe Parking Program ($2.8M) for a two-year period.

Open Data Portal & Dashboard

The City of Santa Rosa's Open Data Portal includes a Homeless Services Dashboard tracking the number of people served, sheltered, and/or housed by quarter through the following City-funded programs: Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter, Family Support Center, Homeless Services Center, and the Safe Parking Pilot Program.