What San Diego’s 2026 point-in-time count means
San Diego has just completed its 2026 Point-In-Time count, a measure designed to map out how many individuals are living on the streets at a given time. The results are in and reflect a large change in San Diego’s unhoused population. Let’s break down what these results mean for the city and what this change means for the future.
Results of the 2026 Point-In-Time count
Results
The results are in. The 2026 Point‑In‑Time count, conducted by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, found that street homelessness decreased by 11%, while the number of sheltered individuals increased by 12%, leading to an overall decrease in homelessness of 1%. While 1% may not seem like a significant change, the real impact is that a large number of people now have access to shelters, which can provide safe and healthy conditions and services to help them overcome homelessness.
San Diego has increased its efforts to end homelessness since COVID‑19. These efforts have produced the results noted above: more people are being cared for, and fewer individuals are living on the streets. This positive trend may lead to a larger decrease in homelessness over time as more people receive care today.
Despite this positive trend, San Diego now faces a multimillion-dollar deficit that is taking away grants from resource providers and leading to a decrease in shelters and care programs. Can San Diego overcome this struggle to continue its positive trend, or will it fall to its rising citywide deficit?