In the last week of August, 2023, The New Mexico Coalition End Homelessness released the 2023 “Point In Time” (PIT) survey on New Mexico homelessness. This blog article is a report on the 2023 survey results. The link to review the entire 31-page 2023 PIT Report with graphs and charts is here:
https://www.nmceh.org/_files/ugd/ad7ad8_6d9bf66e3a5d407eaad310cc44ecaf82.pdf
POINT IN TIME COUNT EXPLAINED
The PIT count is the annual process of identifying and counting individuals and families experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness within a community on a single night in January. The PIT count is done in communities across the country. The PIT count is the official number of homeless reported by communities to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help understand the extent of homelessness at the city, state, regional and national levels. This year’s PIT count occurred from January 31st through February 3rd.
HUD requires that any community receiving federal funding from homeless assistance grant programs conduct the annual count. In even numbered years, only sheltered homeless are surveyed. In odd numbered years, both sheltered and unsheltered homeless are surveyed. Only those homeless people who can be located and who agree to participate in the survey are counted.
The PIT count requires the use of the HUD definition of “homelessness”. PIT counts only people who are sleeping in a shelter, in transitional housing program, or outside in places not meant for human habitation. Those people who are not counted are those who do not want to participate in the survey, who are sleeping in motels that they pay for themselves, or who are doubled up with family or friends
HUD defines sheltered homeless as “residing in an emergency shelter, motel paid through a provider or in a transitional housing program.” It does not include people who are doubled up with family or friends. HUD defines “unsheltered homeless” as those sleeping in places not meant for human habitation including streets, parks, alleys, underpasses, abandoned buildings, campgrounds and similar environments.
The PIT count has the following 3 major categories of homelessness it reports on:
SHELTERED COUNT: The sheltered count represents all people residing in Emergency Shelters (ES) and Transitional Housing (TH) projects.
UNSHELTERED COUNT uses surveys and street outreach to account for individuals and families experiencing unsheltered homelessness on the night of the count. The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness coordinated a number of street outreach teams and volunteers across the state, canvassing neighborhoods, alleys, parks, high-traffic areas, known encampments and points of congregation, meal service sites, and general service sites to engage and survey people who identified as being in a homeless situation.
HOUSING INVENTORY COUNT (HIC): The Housing Inventory Count is an inventory of provider programs that provides a total number of beds and units dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness, and, for permanent housing projects, individuals who were homeless at entry. The HIC counts beds in four Program Types: Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Rapid Re-Housing; and Permanent Supportive Housing.
The Sheltered, Unsheltered, and Housing Inventory counts attempt to paint a complete picture of our homelessness response system, with the sheltered and unsheltered counts illustrating the need for services and the HIC demonstrating capacity for providing those services.
2023 POINT-IN-TIME (PIT) REPORT
The total number of the unhoused in the city of Albuquerque dwarfs in sure numbers the total number of the unhoused in the state of New Mexico. For this reason, the 2023 Point In Time Survey release by the New Mexico Coalition End Homelessness first reports on the unsheltered and sheltered people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. It then reports on the unsheltered and sheltered people experiencing homelessness in the State referred to as the Balance of the State.
ALBUQUERQUE UNSHELTERED DATA BREAKDOWN
HOUSEHOLDS COUNTED IN ALBUQUERQUE
The total count of HOUSEHOLDS experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque on January 30, 2023 was 1,980. (Households include those with or without children or only children.) The breakdown is as follows:
- Emergency Shelters: 864
- Transitional Housing: 187
- Unsheltered: 928
TOTAL HOUSEHOLDS: 1,980
PERSONS COUNTED IN ALBUQUERQUE
The total count of PERSONS experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque on January 30, 2023 was 2,394 broken down in 3 categories.
- Emergency Shelters: 1,125
- Transitional Housing: 292
- Unsheltered: 977
TOTAL PERSONS: 2,394.
ALBUQUERQUE’S 2009 TO 2023 STATISTICS
Total number of PEOPLE counted during the Albuquerque Point-in-Time counts from 2009 to 2023 to establish a graphic trend line for the period are as follows:
- 2009: 2,002
- 2011: 1,639
- 2013: 1,171
- 2015: 1,287
- 2017: 1,318
- 2019: 1,524
- 2021: 1,567
- 2022: 1,311
- 2023: 2,394
The data breakdown for the 2023 Albuquerque UNSHELTERED was reported as follows:
- 790 (81%) were considered chronically homeless
- 78 ( 8%) were veterans
- 387 (40%) were experiencing homelessness for the first time
- 150 (15%) were homeless due to domestic violence
- 488 (50%) were adults with a serious mental illness
- 436 (45%) were adults with a substance abuse disorder
DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWNS
The following demographic breakdowns are given for Albuquerque 2023 UNSHELTER count:
GENDER (ALBUQUERQUE UNSHELTER COUNT)
- MALE: 648
- FEMALE: 314
- A GENDER OTHER THAN SINGULARLY FEMALE OR MALE: 5
- QUESTIONING: 3
- TRANSGENDER: 7
AGE CATEGORIES (ALBUQUERQUE UNSHELTER COUNT)
- Under 18: 26
- 18-24: 67
- 25-34: 242
- 35-44: 303
- 45-54: 198
- 55-64: 11
- 65 and over: 30
ETHNICITY (ALBUQUERQUE UNSHELTER COUNT)
- HISPANIC: 525 (53.7%)
- NON HIPANIC: 452 (46.3%)
RACE (ALBUQUERQUE UNSHELTER COUNT)
- HISPANIC:40.7%
- WHITE: 29.8%
- AMERICAN INDIAN, INDIGENOUS:14.5%
- AFRICAN AMERICAN: 8.6%
- OTHERS: 6.4%
REASONS GIVEN FOR NOT USING SHELTERS IN ALBUQUERQUE
Respondents were asked, “Why do you not use the shelter system?” Common themes identified in the qualitative data collected include the following:
- Previous negative experiences (121)
- Safety concerns (109)
- Unhygienic (94)
- Stringent shelter policies (88)
- Accessibility issues (83)
- Criminal activity (51)
- Overcrowding (49)
- Staff conduct (39)
- Impact on mental health (39)
- Would rather stay on streets or in car (26)
- Separation of households (25)
- Like a prison or jail (21)
- Substance use at shelters (21)
- Uncomfortable/Stigmatized (17)
- Don’t know how it works/about shelters (16)
- Predatory behavior (sexual assault, rape, etc) (16)
SURVEYS AGREED TO VERSUS SURVEYS DECLINED
For the first time in 2023, the PIT survey reported the total number of individuals from whom surveys were taken and the total number of individuals who refused to participate. It was argued that these statistics are but one of the many reasons to believe the PIT is an undercount.
- Agreed to and submitted surveys taken: 623
- Refusals: 346
ALBUQUERQUE’S UNSHELTERED COUNT OVER TIME
The 2023 PIT report contains the count of people experiencing UNSHELTERED homelessness in Albuquerque during the years 2009-2023 to establish a graphic trend line for the period. The yearly numbers are as follows:
- 2011: 658
- 2012 621
- 2013: 619
- 2014: 614
- 2015: 659
- 2016: 674
- 2017: 706
- 2018: 711
- 2019: 735
- 2020: 808
- 2021: 940
- 2022: 940
- 2023: 1,125
BALANCE OF STATE UNSHELTERED DATA BREAKDOWN
The 2023 PIT survey provides the estimated number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the Balance of State. (Households include those with or without children or only children.)
HOUSEHOLDS COUNTED IN BALANCE OF THE STATE
The total count of HOUSEHOLDS experiencing homelessness in the Balance of State on January 30, 2023 was 1,075 broken down as follows:
- Emergency Shelters: 452
- Transitional Housing: 58
- Unsheltered: 565
TOTAL HOUSEHOLDS: 1,075
INDIVIDUALS COUNTED IN BALANCE OF STATE
The total count of PERSONS experiencing homelessness in the Balance of the State on January 30, 2023 was 1,448.
- Emergency Shelters: 665
- Transitional Housing: 160
- Unsheltered: 623
TOTAL PERSONS: 1,448
BALANCD OF THE STATE 2009 TO 2023 STATISTICS
Following are the number of unsheltered people counted in the BALANCE OF THE STATE for the odd number years 2009-2023 to establish a graphic trend line:
- 2009: 1,473
- 2011: 1,962
- 2013: 1,648
- 2015: 1,342
- 2017: 1,164
- 2019: 1,717
- 2021: 1,180
- 2022: 1,283
- 2023: 1,448
BALANCE OF STATE UNSHELTERED DATA BREAKDOWN
- 315 (51%) were considered chronically homeless
- 68 (11%) were veterans
- 219 (35%) were experiencing homelessness for the first time
- 99 (16%) were homeless due to domestic violence
- 78 (13%) were adults with a serious mental illness
- 81 (13%) were adults with a substance use disorder
GENDER (UNSHELTER COUNT, BALANCE OF THE STATE)
- MALE: 421
- FEMALE: 189
- A Gender other than singularly female or male: 4
- Questioning: 4
- Transgender: 5
AGE CATEGORIES (UNSHELTER COUNT, BALANCE OF THE STATE)
- Under 18: 35
- 18-24: 55
- 25-34: 143
- 35-44: 157
- 45-54: 136
- 55-64: 69
- 65 and over: 28
ETHNICITY (UNSHELTER COUNT, BALANCE OF THE STATE)
- HISPANIC: 314 (50.4%)
- NON HIPANIC: 309 (49.6%)
RACE (UNSHELTER COUNT, BALANCE OF THE STATE)
- WHITE: 62.4%
- AMERICAN INDIAN, INDIGENOUS: 28.3%
- AFRICAN AMERICAN: 6.6%
BALANCE OF STATE SHELTERED COUNT TOTALS from 2011 TO 2023
- 2011: 1,035
- 2012: 759
- 2013: 876
- 2014: 795
- 2015: 728
- 2016: 567
- 2017: 548
- 2018: 657
- 2019: 881
- 2020: 895
- 2021: 702
- 2022: 785
- 2023: 665
BALANCE OF STATE TRANSITIONAL HOUSING COUNT FROM 2011 TO 2023
- 2011: 466
- 2012 594
- 2013: 488
- 2014: 413
- 2015: 343
- 2016: 203
- 2017: 204
- 2018: 142
- 2019: 144
- 2020: 160
- 2021: 116
- 2022: 107
- 2023: 292
RACIAL DISPARITIES
The 2023 PIT survey for the first time examined RACIAL disparities.
UNSHELTERED IN ALBUQUERQUE
- In Albuquerque, Native Americans comprise 4.8% of its population, while they comprise 21.1% of the total unsheltered for 2023.
- In Albuquerque, African Americans comprise 3,2% of its population, while they comprise 11.9% of the total unsheltered for 2023.
EMERGENCY SHELTER IN ALBUQUERQUE
- In Albuquerque, Native Americans comprise 4.8% of its population, while they comprise 11.5% of the total sheltered for 2023.
- In Albuquerque, African Americans comprise 3,2% of its population, while they comprise 10.4% of the total sheltered for 2023.
BALANCE OF THE STATE
UNSHELTERED IN BALANCE OF STATE
- In the Balance of the State, Native Americans comprise 11.2% of the total population, while they comprise 28.3% of those unsheltered.
- In the Balance of the State, African Americans comprise 2.7% of the total population, while they comprise 6.6% of those unsheltered
EMERGENCY SHELTERED IN BALANCE OF STATE
- In the Balance of the State, Native Americans comprise 11.2% of the total state population, while they comprise 22.9% of those in emergency shelter.
- In the Balance of the State, African Americans comprise 2.7% of the total state population, while they comprise 11.7% of those in emergency shelter.
SUMMATION OF STATISTICS
The total count of PERSONS experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque on January 30, 2023 was 2,394 broken down in 3 categories.
- Emergency Shelters: 1,125
- Transitional Housing: 292
- Unsheltered: 977
TOTAL PERSONS: 2,394.
The total count of PERSONS experiencing homelessness in the Balance of the State on January 30, 2023 was 1,448.
- Emergency Shelters: 665
- Transitional Housing: 160
- Unsheltered: 623
TOTAL PERSONS: 1,448
Relying on the total numbers found for the number of HOMELESS, those in Emergency Shelters, those in Transitional Housing, and those Unsheltered contained in the 2023 PIT Survey, the following is calculated:
- The total number of HOMELESS as reported by the 2023 Point In Time Survey is 3,842 calculated as follows:
- 2,394 persons counted HOMELESS in Albuquerque
- 1,448 persons counted HOMELESS in Balance of State
- 3,842 TOTAL PERSONS COUNTED AS HOMELESS
- The total number persons in EMERGENCY SHELTERS reported by the 2023 Point In Time Survey is 1,790 calculated as follows:
- 1,125 persons counted in emergency shelters in Albuquerque
- 665 persons counted in emergency shelters Balance of State
- 1,790 TOTAL PERSONS IN EMERGENCY SHELTERS
- The total number persons in TRANSITIONAL HOUSING reported by the 2023 Point In Time Survey is 452 calculated as follows:
- 292 persons in transitional housing counted in Albuquerque
- 160 persons counted in transitional housing in Balance of State
- 452 TOTAL PERSONS IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
- The total number persons reported UNSHELTERED by the 2023 Point In Time Survey is 1,500 calculated as follows:
- 977 persons counted unsheltered in Albuquerque
- 623 persons counted unsheltered in Balance of State
- 1,500 TOTAL PERSONS COUNTED UNSHELTERED
2023 PIT REPORT OVERVIEW
The newly released Point In Time count done by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness shows there are now 2,394 people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. A nearly 83% increase from last year. When the Coalition released the annual PIT count report, it announced it had found in 2023 more than 1,000 more people experiencing homelessness than in 2022. It’s the highest count in the 14 years tracked in the report.
Tony Watkins and William Bowen are both affiliated with New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and were involved with the 2023 PIT survey. Both Watkins and Bowen were interviewed by the Albuquerque Journal when the 2023 PIT report was released. Both representatives cautioned that the 1,000-person increase might not mean 1,000 more people are homeless for the first time.
William Bowen, a Continuum of Care Program officer for the Coalition who organized the 2023 count on January 30, said there are three major reasons for the massive jump:
First the group added about 50 volunteers this year, expanding the survey’s reach throughout the city.
Second the approach was also more targeted when it came to divvying up neighborhoods.
Despite those changes, Bowen said the Coalition to End Homelessness believes the number of homeless people living in the city is increasing for two major reasons:
FIRST: Increasing rents and home prices.
SECOND: The end of several pandemic-era relief programs, including an eviction moratorium. Data from the Eviction Lab, a nationwide database that tracks eviction filings, shows there have been more than 9,000 filings in the past year in Albuquerque.
MASSIVE UNDERCOUNT PROCLAIMED
Bowen said this year’s elevated number of 2,394 individuals is still a massive undercount. The PIT 2023 report acknowledges that the final count represents a small snapshot of time and that it consistently undercounts the actual number of people experiencing homelessness.
Limitations can include winter weather, which can make it more challenging for volunteers to find people living on the streets, as well as encampment sweeps that Bowen said continued during the PIT count. Bowen added that people with children might also try and seclude themselves, fearing that their kids will be taken away, he continued. In the past, COVID-19 restrictions were an obstacle.
Sam Watkins said data on the number of people signed up for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants takes into account what Watkins calls the “invisible homeless” which can include people who are couch-surfing or otherwise displaced from their homes.
Watkins also noted the racial disparities contained for the first time in the 2023 PIT report. Although Native American and Alaskan people make up 5% of Albuquerque’s population, according to census data, they represent 1 in 5 of the homeless people surveyed in the count. In the city, just more than 3% of residents are Black, but of the homeless people surveyed, about 12% were Black.
Because of the difficulty finding a definitive number of people experiencing homelessness, the value of the PIT count has at times has been questioned. Bowen in response said there are few alternatives to collect similar data.
NOT JUST THE DATA
Watkins and Bowen themselves said the goal of the count has been a discussion at the Coalition but they said the report has value beyond the data. For example, PIT count volunteers surveyed people living on the street and asked certain questions, including why people didn’t use available shelters. Many raised safety and cleanliness concerns about shelter spaces. Bowen said many people have had negative experiences that can make them wary of large emergency shelters.
Of the more than 2,000 people included in the report, about 45% were staying in emergency shelters and 12% were using transitional housing services. The remaining fraction were completely unsheltered.
Watkins and Bowen identified areas where progress can be made, including increased affordable housing, intervention programs to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place and improved delivery of certain services to turn the tide. But Watkins said one important factor is bringing people with personal experience with homelessness into public policy positions. If that happens, Watkins said this:
“I think things will shift. I don’t know how they’ll shift, but they’ve got to shift for the better.”
The 2023 PIT report also provided a better understanding on how many unsheltered people on the streets of Albuquerque are from outside of the United States. Out of 252 people interviewed, 14 said they were from countries like Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama. The survey acknowledged that the overall numbers are an undercount, as more than 700 people reportedly refused to answer.
The city of Albuquerque issued the following statement in response to the 2023 PIT report:
“We know there is a need for additional shelter and resources for the unhoused, and the City of Albuquerque continues to build capacity in our system of care by expanding wraparound services at Gateway and adding Medical Sobering and Medical Respite care, in addition to improving the westside shelter and working with our community partners. We have plans in place to shelter additional people in the winter months, as well as migrants passing through our city.”
The links to quoted news source materials are here:
https://www.koat.com/article/homeless-increase-in-albuquerque/45462181
CITY’S FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AND SERVICES TO HOMELESS
It is the city’s Family Community Services Department (FCS) that provides for assistance to the homeless. In fiscal year 2021-2022, the department spent $35,145,851 on homeless initiatives. In 2022-2023 fiscal year the department spent $59,498,915 on homeless initiatives.
On June 23, 2022 Mayor Tim Keller announced that the City of Albuquerque was adding $48 million to the FY23 budget to address housing and homelessness issues in Albuquerque. The City also announced it was working on policy changes to create more housing and make housing more accessible.
The key appropriations passed by City Council included in the $48 million are:
- $20.7 million for affordable and supportive housing
- $1.5 million for improvements to the Westside Emergency Housing Center
- $4 million to expand the Wellness Hotel Program
- $7 million for a youth shelter
- $6.8 million for medical respite and sobering centers
- $7 million for Gateway Phases I and II, and improvements to the Gibson Gateway Shelter facility
- $555,000 for services including mental health and food insecurity prevention
The link to the quoted source is here:
The 2022-2023 enacted budget for the Department of Community Services is $72.4 million and the department is funded for 335 full time employees, an increase of 22 full time employees. A breakdown of the amounts to help the homeless and those in need of housing assistance was as follows:
- $42,598,361total for affordable housing and community contracts with a major emphasis on permanent housing for chronically homeless. It is $24,353,064 more than last year.
- $6,025,544total for emergency shelter contracts (Budget page 102.).
- $3,773,860total for mental health contracts (Budget page105.).
- $4,282,794total for homeless support services.
- $2,818,356total substance abuse contracts for counseling (Budget page 106.).
The 2022-2023 adopted city contains $4 million in recurring funding and $2 million in one-time funding for supportive housing programs in the City’s Housing First model and $24 million in Emergency Rental Assistance from the federal government.
The link to the 2022-2023 budget it here:
https://www.cabq.gov/dfa/documents/fy23-proposed-final-web-version.pdf
The 2023-2024 approve city budget for the Family and Community Services budget lists forty five (45) separate affordable housing contracts totaling $39,580,738, fifteen (15) separate emergency shelter contracts totaling $5,575,690, and twenty seven (27) separate homeless support service contracts totaling $5,104,938 for a total of $50,261,366. The Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 Family Community Services includes the following line-item funding:
- $14 million in non-recurring funding for supportive housing programs in the City’s Housing First model.
- $736,000 in non-recurring to fully fund the Assisted Outpatient Treatment program.
- $730,000 in recurring and $500,000 in non-recurring funding for a partial year of operating a Medical Sobering Center at Gibson Gateway Homeless Shelter and Health Hub, which will complement the social model sobering facilities available at the County’s CARES campus.
- $1.2 million for Homeless Support Services
- $1.7 million for Mental Health for service contracts for mental health
- $200 thousand for Substance Abuse, early intervention and prevention programs, domestic violence shelters and services, sexual assault services, health and social service center providers, and services to abused, neglected and abandoned youth.
- $1.5 million in recurring and $500,000 in non-recurring funding for a Medical Respite facility at Gibson Health Hub, which will provide acute and post-acute care for persons experiencing homelessness who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets but are not sick enough to be in a hospital.
- $3 million in recurring funding to operate the first Gateway Center at the Gibson Health Hub, including revenue and expenses for emergency shelter and first responder drop-off, facility operation and program operations.
- $1.2 million for the Westside Emergency Housing Center.
- $500,000 non-recurring to fund the development of a technology system that enables the City and providers to coordinate on the provision of social services to people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges.
- $500,000 non-recurring to funding for Albuquerque Street Connect, a program that focuses on people experiencing homelessness who use the most emergency services and care, to establish ongoing relationships that result in permanent supportive housing.
- $1,300,000 for Emergency Shelter
- $1,200,000for Gateway Phase one and Engagement Center, and a net of $500 thousand for Medical Respite.
- Recurring funding of $3,500,000 for Family Housing Navigation Center/Shelter (Wellness-2) which has been using non-recurring emergency/COVID funding
- Capital Improvement Projects coming-on-line expenses are budgeted to increase by $500,000 for Gateway Homeless Shelter, Phase one, and Engagement Center and $500,000 thousand for the Sobering Center at the Gibson Homeless Shelter Health Hub.
You can review all city hall department budgets at this link:
Click to access fy24-proposed-web-version.pdf
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Every year that the Point In Time survey is released, the city and service providers always proclaim it is a massive undercount of the city and state’s homeless population. The accuracy of the numbers are called into question with some arguing that the city’s homeless numbers are as high as10,000 or more as demands are made for more and more spending.
Government and charitable providers who rely on government funding to assist the homeless to an extent are motivated to make claims that the numbers they serve are much greater than they really are because government funding or even donations are dependent on the numbers they actually serve. This is especially so when federal funding is at stake.
One problem is that the city and the charitable providers do not all have one singular definition of homeless. They tend to count all that walk through their front doors who they assist, be it for food, clothing, shelter or a combination thereof. Many of the charitable providers serve 300 to 500 people a day.
CONSISTENCY IN THE NUMBERS
The Point in Time survey is criticized because everyone at risk of or experiencing homelessness through the course of the entire year is not included. The point-in-time count is typically done over the course of one to two nights, with volunteers canvassing neighborhoods, alleys, parks, places like the Bosque in Albuquerque, meal service sites, and general service sites.
The PIT report does not include those who are referred to as the “hidden homeless” which is defined as people who may be sleeping in their cars, overcrowded homes, vacant buildings or staying “on and off” with friends or relatives for short periods of time or in other unsafe housing conditions or in undetected campsites and those who have no permanent address.
Notwithstanding questioning the accuracy, the overall numbers found each year by the PIT over the last 12 years has been very consistent. Albuquerque’s total number of chronic homeless is between 2,002 (counted in 2009) and 2,394 (counted in 2023) in Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing and Unsheltered. The Balance of the State total number of chronic homeless are between 1,473 (counted in 2009) and 1,448 (counted in 2023) in Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing and Unsheltered. It’s Albuquerque’s numbers that have spiked dramatically. The numbers should not be confused at all with the city’s and state’s affordable housing needs.
CONCLUSION
Until government and all homeless providers come up with an ongoing method of calculating the homeless throughout the year, the annual Point In Time is the only count that is reliable and should not be dismissed as inaccurate. The blunt reality is that homelessness will never be solved until the underlying causes are resolved including poverty and the mental health and drug addiction crisis.
During the past 5 years, the city has established two 24/7 homeless shelters, including purchasing the Loveless Gibson Medical Center for $15 million to convert it into a homeless shelter. The city is funding and operating 2 major shelters for the homeless, one fully operational with 450 beds and one when fully operational will assist upwards 1,000 homeless and accommodate at least 330 a night. Ultimately, both shelters are big enough to be remodeled and provide far more sheltered housing for the unhoused.
Given the numbers in the 2023 PIT report and the millions being spent on the homeless crisis it should be manageable. Yet the crisis is only getting worse and is a continuing major drain on city resources. During the past few years the unhoused have become far more dispersed throughout the city and have become far more aggressive in camping where they want and for how long as they want. The problem the city has failed to solve is the homeless squatters who have no interest in any offers of shelter, beds, motel vouchers from the city or alternatives to living on the street and who want to camp at city parks, on city streets in alleys and trespass in open space.