As Santa Clara County changes how it counts its unhoused, some fear many will be missed

ADVOCATES ARE RAISING concerns about whether Santa Clara County is going to undercount the number of homeless residents this year.

Every two years, the county participates in a federally mandated point-in-time count to gather information on the number of people living on the streets and in shelters. The count is taken over a two-day period in January and gives the county, state and federal government valuable information on who is homeless, even though it is often considered an undercount. This year, the county has switched to Simtech Solutions Inc., which is changing the methodology on how the count and survey will be conducted. Advocates are questioning the approach.