Homelessness on the rise in Placer County
By Cynthia Hubert, Sacramento Bee
Volunteers counted 146 more people living homeless in Placer County this year compared to a similar census in 2015.
That translates to a 28 percent increase in the county’s homeless population during the past two years. But officials said the numbers may be misleading. The number of homeless people documented two years ago may have been artificially low because of an unanticipated staffing problem on the night of the count, said Leslie Brewer of the Homeless Resource Council of the Sierra.
The numbers come from a single “point in time” tally of homeless people counted by volunteers in late January. The biennial count, required for federal funding, provides a snapshot of life on the streets.