Santa Clara County reports record number of homeless residents; 58% newly unhoused

MORE SANTA CLARA COUNTY RESIDENTS are falling into homelessness for the first time as the cost of living rises.

There are a record 10,711 homeless people living in the county this year, according to a count conducted in January. The county surveyed 1,534 homeless people during that time and 58% reported being newly homeless, according to recently released data. That’s almost double the 34% of people who reported being homeless for the first time during the previous count in 2023.