While the city of Stockton continues to account for most of the unsheltered population throughout San Joaquin County, Lodi’s numbers increased by 50 percent, according to the 2022 Point-in-Time Count released last week.

The count is an attempt to track the number of sheltered homeless and unsheltered people living in the county, but it hasn’t taken place since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019 Lodi had 139 unsheltered people and this year that number increased to 208.

Volunteers with the Stockton Point-in-Time count interview a homeless man at his camp on Jan. 31, 2022. (Photo by Harika Maddala/Bay City News)

Stockton contributed to 66 percent of the unsheltered population, Manteca accounts for 10 percent, Tracy had 9 percent and 15 percent in Lodi.

Data also showed that while Stockton’s numbers decreased by 3 percent, 893 people are still living in homelessness. In 2019 Stockton had 921 unsheltered people.

Two percent of the people counted were between the ages of 18 and 24 while 11 percent were 62 and older, according to the report.

In January, 315 volunteers counted 2,319 unsheltered people in San Joaquin County with 1,355 people being unsheltered and 964 people living sheltered.

Karri Johnson asks Karamjeet Nagra questions from the survey for the Point-in-Time count in Manteca, Calif., on Jan. 25, 2022. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

According to the report, sheltered homeless means people who are homeless but living in emergency or temporary housing.

In 2019, 401 participants counted a total of 2,629 homeless people with 1,558 being unsheltered and 1,071 being sheltered. 77 percent of people surveyed said they first became homeless in San Joaquin County.

The report explained that the number of unsheltered people counted could have increased or decreased due to the shift in volunteers from 2019 to the current year. There was a 21 percent drop in volunteers because of Omicron, according to the report.

Homeless tents under the intersection of State Routes 4 and 5 in Stockton, Calif., on April 7, 2022. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

Findings from the report also included 48 percent of people identifying as chronically homeless, 33 percent reported a problem with substance abuse and 33 percent had mental health issues.

However, 71 percent of these individuals said they had access to medical insurance to receive care.

Different outreach teams working with Community Medical Centers talks to a recently incarcerated man, 24, who currently lives with his mother in a tent at Eden Park in Stockton, Calif., on April 7, 2022. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

The new figures from the count will determine how much each county will receive in state and federal funding to address homelessness.

Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.