Berkeley unsheltered homelessness nearly halved in two years: report

Hamza Fahmy
·2 min read

(KRON) — Alameda County recently released results on homeless rates, and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín says they are on the right path to success.

In Alameda’s 2024 Point-In-Time Count, Berkeley reports that unsheltered homelessness — meaning unhoused individuals with no temporary or permanent solutions, including those living in cars — has dropped by 45%, and overall homelessness has dropped by 21%, all within a two-year span.

“What these numbers indicate is that our approach is working, and I want the Berkeley community to know that I have no intention of taking my foot off the gas,” Arreguín said.

Berkeley has also seen a 19% increase in sheltered homelessness, meaning homeless individuals living in city shelters. City officials say this is natural, however, as it represents the transition of unhoused persons getting connected to city shelters and services.

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Mayor Arreguín credits much of the recent success to the city’s efforts to build more housing. More specifically, in 2018, Arreguin developed a package of ballot measures that included:

  • Measure O: A $135 million affordable housing bond

  • Measure P: $10 million in property taxes to cover homeless services

Since Measure P passed, Berkeley has housed over 1,500 homeless individuals– what is nearly half of Berkeley’s current sheltered homeless population.

“Having personally experienced housing insecurity, I’m deeply proud of how this community has come together to respond to this crisis,” Arreguín said.

BERKELEY, CA – SEPTEMBER 30: Rusty James, Jr. lays on a mattress in People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. UC Berkeley plans to build housing for students and the indigent at People’s Park, against the wishes of some opponents, including those who want to preserve the park as it’s been for generations. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

In 2017, Arreguin and city officials created the Pathways Project, a project aimed to tackle Berkeley homelessness by first building temporary shelters and later finding more permanent solutions. Despite homelessness only majorly improving in the past two years, Arreguín and other city leaders believe the Pathways project laid the “groundwork” for future regional efforts.

Several years later, in 2021, city leaders created the All Homes Regional Action Plan, designed to reduce homelessness by 75% by the end of 2024 through immediately sheltering the unhoused, investing in longer-term solutions, and preventing an increase in future homelessness.

With the most recent Point In Time Count report, results show Berkeley is now more than halfway done in achieving its All Home Regional Plan.

“I want to be very clear that our work is not done. Much more must be done to ensure this trend continues, that we bring our unhoused neighbors indoors, and that we deliver measurable, sustainable outcomes for Berkeley and the region,” Arreguín said.

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