The number of people experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County increased by 18.5 percent in 2024, according to a new report by Contra Costa Health.
The annual point-in-time survey is done by the county’s health department and focuses on counting Contra Costa County’s homeless population on a single night.
In 2023, the count was 4 percent higher than in 2022.
The team and its community partners, including hundreds of volunteers, canvassed across the county to count the number of people living in emergency shelters or outdoors on Jan. 24.
The preliminary findings showed 2,843 people were without housing during that 24-hour period, including 1,959 people who were unsheltered.
In 2022, the count showed 2,277 people experiencing homelessness.
This year’s count said 56 percent of those counted were 25 to 54, 29 percent were over 54, 7 percent were under 18, and another 7 percent were 18 to 24.
The count showed 61 percent were male and 38 percent were female; 39 percent were white, 33 percent were Black, 15 percent were Hispanic, and 9 percent were of mixed races.
The area with the most homeless people was Antioch with 413, followed by Richmond with 388, Concord with 173, and Martinez with 158.
Antioch saw the largest homeless population in the county, followed by Richmond, Concord and Martinez.
The night of the count, 39 percent of the people contacted were sleeping outdoors and/or in a tent, followed by 31 percent in emergency or transitional housing, 14 percent in cars, 11 percent in a recreational vehicle, and 5 percent in a van.
Of self-reported health conditions, 83 percent of respondents said they or a family member had at least one serious condition, with 61 percent saying they had mental health conditions, 59 percent saying they had substance use disorder, 49 percent saying they had a chronic health condition, 49 percent saying they had a physical disability, 17 percent saying they were fleeing domestic violence, and 1 percent saying they had HIV/AIDS.
Most respondents — 75 percent — said they have been homeless 10 or more years, with 10 percent saying they were homeless five to nine years, followed by 11 percent saying one to four years, and 3 percent saying they have been homeless less than a year.
The report also said Contra Costa County has increased temporary and permanent housing beds by 26 percent between 2023 and 2024.