Point-in-Time Count Shows Decline in Santa Rosa Homelessness

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Santa Rosa has dropped by 16% compared to last year, according to the final report of the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count recently released by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. The count, held on January 31, found 1,140 individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Rosa, down from 1,365 in 2024. This includes a 16% decrease in unsheltered individuals and a 17% decrease in those in shelters or transitional housing.

Countywide, homelessness declined by 23%, marking the lowest total since the PIT Count began in 2007. Notable improvements include a 39% drop in homeless veterans and a 24% decrease in homeless youth. However, the count also revealed increases among families experiencing homelessness (up 37%) and chronically homeless individuals (up 20%).

Approximately 63% of the all the individuals experiencing homelessness in Sonoma County reside within the Santa Rosa city limits.

"The improvement in this year's count is encouraging to see," said Megan Basinger, Director of the Housing and Community Services Department with the City of Santa Rosa. "However, continued focus and investment is needed to address homelessness in our community, especially for families and chronically homelessness individuals, where we saw numbers go up and more residents struggling."

City officials credit the decline to collaborative efforts regionally among staff, volunteers, and community partners, as well as new affordable housing developments. In the past 18 months, Santa Rosa completed 15 affordable housing projects, adding 689 homes, with funding authorized for another 130 units in development. In Fiscal Year 2024-2025, City-funded programs served over 6,300 individuals, helping nearly 30% of those contacted in encampments transition to shelter or housing.

In Fiscal Year 2024-2025, the City of Santa Rosa also led the implementation of Keep People Housed-Sonoma (KPH) a $3.9 million countywide homelessness prevention pilot program in partnership with the County of Sonoma, City of Petaluma, and Bay Area nonprofit All Home. The regionally coordinated KPH system combines short-term, flexible financial assistance with housing stabilization services and legal aid referrals for individuals facing eviction. Using an evidence-based scoring system, the online application platform prioritizes those at highest risk of homelessness. In its first year, KPH-Sonoma served 180 households and aims to prevent 350-400 Sonoma County households from falling into homelessness over the two-year pilot period.

However, despite the progress, federal and state funding cuts threaten future efforts. The City's Housing & Community Services Department is addressing a $1.4 million budget reduction for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. As a result, funding for City-funded services that support people experiencing homelessness has been reduced. Details on affected programs and proposed solutions are available in the Homeless Services Budget Reductions document linked below.

Learn More:

Sonoma County 2025 Homeless Point-in-Time Count Report

City of Santa Rosa Homeless Services FY 25/26 Budget Reductions (PDF)

Visit SRCity.org/HomelessSolutions to learn more about the City's efforts to address homelessness.

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