Homeless population up in new Santa Barbara County count
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Barbara County announced its homeless population grew five percent over the last year.
The numbers were released as part of the county’s 2020 homeless count.
Volunteers counted 1,897 homeless people on January 29, which is up from the 1,803 people counted in 2019.
The county says 1,223 people in Santa Barbara County had no shelter and 674 others were staying in emergency shelters or traditional housing.
Officials say there was a noticeable increase in people living in their cars over the past year. 51% of homeless people counted were living their cars this year, which is a 31% jump from 2019.
| Year | Homeless Sheltered | Homeless Unsheltered (in vehicles) | Total Homeless person |
| 2019 | 670 | 1,133 (479) | 1,803 |
| 2020 | 674 | 1,223 (629) | 1,897 |
90 families with 185 children were homeless the night of the count, which is a 22% decrease from last year.
613 people reported they experience chronic homelessness, which is an increase of 45%.
210 veterans were also homeless, which is up 83 percent from 2019.
68% of the homeless population was counted in Southern Santa Barbara County, 20% were counted in North County, and 12% were counted in Mid-County.
| City/Area | 2020 Total | 2019 Total |
| Carpinteria | 39 | 21 |
| Summerland | 8 | 8 |
| Montecito | 6 | 6 |
| Goleta | 166 | 119 |
| Santa Barbara | 914 | 887 |
| Isla Vista | 69 | 33 |
| Unincorporated South Coast areas: Gaviota, East Goleta Valley, Mission Canyon, Toro Canyon | 90 | not reported |
| Lompoc | 211 | 249 |
| Vandenberg Village/Mission Hills | 5 | |
| Buellton/Solvang/Santa Ynez Valley | 2 | 5 |
| Santa Maria | 382 | 464 |
| Orcutt | 2 | 7 |
| Guadalupe | 3 | 4 |
| New Cuyama | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 1,897 | 1,803 |
The count also found that the homeless population in Lompoc and Santa Maria decreased, while nearly everywhere along the South Coast saw increases. Officials say that’s due to more people living in their cars.
A presentation on the numbers will be held on April 2 at 2 p.m. at Shepherd Hall at the Santa Maria Library.
