Point In Time Count
For Immediate Release
May 11, 2026
Contact
Dawn McLeish, Deputy Director, Human Services Agency
dmcleish@sjgov.org, 209-468-2050
Stockton, CA – On April 30, 2026, the San Joaquin Continuum of Care (SJCoC) submitted its 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). PIT Count data is required by HUD every two years and provides a snapshot of the number of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single day in January.
This year’s PIT Count reported 1,468 sheltered individuals and 1,838 unsheltered individuals throughout San Joaquin County. Compared to the 2024 PIT Count, the number of sheltered individuals increased by 205 (16%) and the number of unsheltered individuals decreased by 1,631 (47%). Since the last count in 2024, a blend of roughly 1,300 permanent housing options were brought online.
“We believe the main reason for the increase in sheltered individuals is the increase in the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing beds in our community,” said Jon Mendelson, Executive Director of Central Valley Low Income Housing Corporation (CVLIHC). “These additional units were made possible by local and state investments, along with improved utilization of existing beds. The data also indicates that our community made significant progress reducing unsheltered homelessness. Investments in permanent housing projects and low-barrier emergency shelter beds contributed to a dramatic reduction of unsheltered individuals throughout San Joaquin County.”
Hundreds of trained volunteers participated in the one-day count, which occurred on the morning of January 27 between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. from deployment centers in Lodi, Manteca, Stockton, and Tracy. Efforts were overseen by Applied Survey Research, who designed the data collection methodology for the unsheltered count in alignment with current HUD guidance. The sheltered count was provided by CVLIHC using data from the County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). CVLIHC maintains and oversees the HMIS on behalf of the SJCoC, with data entered by homeless service providers throughout the County.
City specific and demographic data is anticipated to be released by the SJCoC in June 2026 and will also be posted on the SJCoC website: http://www.sanjoaquincoc.org/
About the San Joaquin Continuum of Care:
“Continuum of Care” is a program developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1994 to promote community-wide discussion and commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. SJCoC strives to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, supported by a robust homeless crisis response system. People experiencing homelessness will be empowered through a responsive system that provides effective and supportive services and housing, efficiently leveraging public and private resources.
Point-in-Time Count Release: May 31, 2024
Full Report of the 2024 Point in Time Count of Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless
Analysis of San Joaquin County Point in Time Count Data (2017–2022)
Please click here for a full report on the results of the 2019 Point in Time Count of the Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless.
On November 18, 2020, the SJCoC Board of Directors requested that HUD grant an exception from conducting an unsheltered count in 2021 due to the impacts of COVID-19. That request was immediately granted by HUD. Please refer to the minutes of the SJCoC Board of Directors Special Meeting of November 18, 2020 for more details. You can also review HUD’s guidance regarding exceptions to the unsheltered count here.
One of the responsibilities of the San Joaquin Continuum of Care is to report the numbers of people experiencing homelessness living in our communities. Using the Homeless Management Information System, the SJCoC counts the sheltered homeless every single day of the year. To count the unsheltered homeless, for example, those living in their cars, under bridges, in a tent next to the freeway, or any other place not meant for human habitation, can be much more difficult. That’s why the San Joaquin Continuum of Care needs volunteers from throughout the County to participate in the Point in Time Count of the Unsheltered Homeless
We ask for assistance from citizens throughout the region to count the unsheltered homeless during the last ten days of January. Getting an accurate count of the unsheltered homeless in a geographic area the size of San Joaquin County takes hundreds of volunteers, donations of supplies, places to meet, and much more. An accurate Point in Time Count is critical to the success of the San Joaquin Continuum of Care because funding amounts and other resources are decided based in large part on the number of homeless individuals we find during the Count.
Volunteering for the Point in Time Count is easy: teams will gather in a designated meeting place one morning in January and go out to where the homeless congregate. Teams will conduct a head count and if possible ask a few questions, and report back to Continuum staff at the meeting place. The entire process takes just a few hours for most volunteers. We are fortunate to have commitments of participation from local law enforcement officers which will go out with teams, as well as local fire departments, non-profits, City and County staff, churches, civic leaders, elected officials, and concerned citizens from all over San Joaquin County.
For more information about how you can help, contact Rajony Poy at neighborhood@sjgov.org or by phone at (209) 468-3175.
You can download a list of items the San Joaquin Continuum of Care needs for the Count here. These items will be given to the homeless by volunteers participating in the Count.
You can download a copy of the San Joaquin Continuum of Care 2017 Point-in-Time Unsheltered Homeless Count Report here.
