CHICO – A draft report of people experiencing homelessness in Butte County counts 1,006 people living without emergency shelter, transitional housing or a home.
The report, called the point-in-time count, was shown at the Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care meeting on Monday and reported to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for review.
The draft census data for the homeless in Butte County was collected on January 26, 2022 from Continuum of Care homeless service providers and volunteers on a day of counting.
“While we can’t capture the numbers very accurately, we know we are conservative. We know the numbers are going to be higher, no matter what,” said Ed Meyer, vice chairman of the care committee and Butt County Director of Housing Authority.
The draft report said that of the 1,006 people experiencing homelessness in Butte County, 244 live in an emergency shelter, 174 live in transitional housing and 588 remain homeless.
Three hundred and twenty-four people were reported to be homeless for a long time; 68 people live in an emergency shelter and 256 live in a non-shelter, including two people under the age of 18.
Divided into subpopulations, the draft reports 257 people to be seriously mentally ill; 172 people experiencing chronic substance abuse; 39 people to be old; 91 victims of domestic abuse — 66 of whom are homeless; and 41 unmarried youths up to the age of 24.
The data provided by the draft is not complete, and a full report on the point-in-time count will be released at the next Continuum of Care meeting, Meyer said. This would include assessing homelessness services, resources in the county, and identifying gaps between services.
Meyer said, “Counting from time to time is very important because it helps us identify not only what we’re dealing with in the present moment, but it helps to identify trends – is it bad? Is happening, is it getting better.”
The next meeting of the Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care will be on June 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. Online meeting information can be found at https://www.buttehomelesscoc.com.
