Shasta is counting the homeless today, along with other communities across the state

Representatives of local organizations that help connect people to housing were out in the community today speaking to those they found on the streets and in makeshift camps. Shasta counts the homeless most years in order to receive state and federal funding that can support those with housing needs. It’s a requirement for federal funding via the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Shasta participates in the Point in Time or PIT count as part of the NorCal Continuum of Care along with six other North State counties, including Del Norte, Siskiyou, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas and Sierra. Of those counties, Shasta has by far the highest number of unhoused people, along with the largest population.

Last year, while the number of unhoused went down across the region according to NorCal CoC’s count, Shasta’s numbers went up, but not by much.The count conducted last January found 1,082 people living without housing in Shasta County. That was an increase of about 70 people from the last PIT count which was conducted in 2023. 

Since participation in the PIT count is voluntary for the unhoused, staff from NorCal CoC member organizations across the county work with donor organizations to provide incentives, including food and care packages, to encourage those living without housing to fill out their surveys.

At the New Life Discovery Center building in downtown Redding, members of the unhoused community arrived throughout the day to participate and receive free food, clothing and supplies — including items for their furry companions. 

Gabriel, who chose to share only his first name, said his dog Little Bear always looks forward to events like these, where she’s sure to get a new collar and some treats. “She loves these things,” Gabriel said, sharing a beef stick he had just received with his eager companion, who was already sporting a new bright red collar.

He and others at the event filled out a survey that included demographic information about themselves and those they live with, history related to how long they’ve been homeless, the kind of location where they usually find shelter and the reasons for their housing instability. Shasta Scout’s previous reporting with the unhoused indicates that for many, the onset of homelessness was connected to a major life-changing event that impacted their ability to afford housing, such as the death of a parent or a divorce.

Along with counting the overall number of unhoused people, the PIT count is also used to document how many of those who aren’t housed still have some kind of shelter. That can include a bed at the Good News Rescue Mission or a room in a medical respite program at a local hotel. But as of the last count, a third of Shasta’s homeless — more than 400 — weren’t even finding that much shelter.

The annual survey is known to be a limited means of documenting the real numbers of unhoused in any given community. That’s because many who live without stable housing may be located in locations not approached by volunteers over the period during which data is collected for the count. Some homeless people may also choose not to answer questions for representatives when approached.

A 2017 study by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty documented those issues with the count and others, including that it fails to document the transitory nature of homelessness in which people often cycle in and out of shelter over the course of time and may not qualify as homeless on the actual day the count occurs. 

Megan Preller, a NorCal CoC member who’s also the executive director of the Ready for Life Foster Family Agency, said today that counts of homeless youth are particularly unreliable. That’s in part, she explained, because Housing and Urban Development doesn’t define those who are couch surfing as homeless, even if they don’t have a steady place to stay from week to week.

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