The homeless appear to be either continuing to leave Sonoma County or continuing to find stable housing, because for the second time in three years the county's point-in-time homeless census saw the population drop over 20%.

Sonoma County, which unlike most Bay Area jurisdictions conducts annual point-in-time homeless counts rather biennial counts, has just announced preliminary numbers in the count that occurred on January 31, 2025. County officials say that a total of 1,952 individuals unhoused individuals were counted, marking a 23% drop since the 2024 point-in-time count occurred.

Of those, 1,123 individuals were unsheltered, and 829 were sheltered at the time.

The count this year marks the lowest number of homeless people on the streets of Sonoma County since the point-in-time counts began in 2007.

And while some years have varied, there has been some indications in recent years that numbers were falling. The count in January 2024 found 2,522 individuals unhoused in the county, which represented a rise of 11% since 2023. But 2023 had seen a dramatic 22% year-over-year drop in the population number, and numbers have been trending downward since a high-water mark of 2,996 in 2018.

This year's count shows over 1,000 fewer unhoused individuals than the 2018 count.

"It is very encouraging to see progress," said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. "This year’s count reflects the tireless dedication of County staff, the Continuum of Care volunteers and our community partners — people who are showing up every day to do the hard, human work of addressing homelessness."

Nolan Sullivan, director of the county's Department of Health Services, attributed some of the drop in homelessness to new permanent housing projects for chronically homeless individuals with mental illness, as well as set-asides in affordable housing projects in the county for people experiencing homelessness.

"I’m very happy for the nearly 600 people who are no longer homeless and the other positive changes that these numbers reflect," Sullivan said. "And, while we had two additional projects start up toward the end of last year... whose progress will be reflected in next year’s count, we also need to remember that we are losing funding all around the system due to state and federal funding cuts, and this progress that we are celebrating today can be easily turned around."

The movements of homeless individuals around the Bay Area aren't well tracked, so it is not possible to say whether the 570 fewer people counted in the homeless census this year found housing or simply left the area.

The next point-in-time counts for San Francisco and Oakland will be happening in January 2026.

Sonoma County will release its final point-in-time census later this summer.

Previously: Unsheltered Homeless Population In SF Nearly Unchanged Since 2022, Overall Number Rises 7%

Top image: Homeless tents along Joe Rodota Trail in Santa Rosa in 2022.