(KRON) — Santa Clara County’s homeless population spiked by 8.2% within the past two years, according to a newly-released 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) count of unhoused residents.
The 2025 census counted 10,711 homeless people, marking a sharp rise from 9,903 counted in 2023.
The county’s PIT report states, “More people are entering homelessness than exiting homelessness in the region. Systemic factors such as the lack of affordable housing supply, wage gaps, and structural inequities all contribute to housing insecurity and homelessness in the Bay Area. These economic pressures have continued to increase in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The county directed $446 million for funding “homelessness solutions” in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Solutions include shelters, permanent supportive housing, and housing for people in behavioral health and drug use disorder treatment. “Without these investments far more individuals would be experiencing homelessness today,” the report states. More than 8,000 people were moved from homelessness to housing between 2023 and 2025, according to the PIT report. County Executive James Williams said, “Effectively addressing poverty, inequality, and homelessness requires a systemic, comprehensive approach — one that necessitates deep collaboration and responsiveness at all levels of government. Our community must address the root cause of homelessness: a lack of affordable housing supply at all levels.”
According to the San Jose Mayor’s Office, roughly 200 homeless people die outdoors in Santa Clara County every year…