- Number of people who were counted as homeless on Jan. 30: 1,108 Number of people counted as homeless on Jan. 30, 2017: 972
- Number counted as homeless on Jan. 28, 2015: 834
- Percentage increase over four years: 32.8%
- Approximate number of people who city staff estimate were homeless in Berkeley for some portion of time over 365 days in 2017: 2,000
- Percentage of men in the homeless population in 2017: 68%
- Percentage of women in the homeless population in 2017: 38%
- Percentage of trans people in the homeless population in 2017: 1%
- Percentage of people who lived in Alameda County before experiencing homelessness: 76
- Number of people experiencing homelessness in 2019 who have shelter: 295
- Number who are unsheltered (on the street, in a tent, car, RV): 813
- Percentage of the homeless population that is African American: 65%
- Percentage of Berkeley’s general population that is African American: 8%
- Percentage of homeless people who reported a disability in 2018: 68%
- Percentage of homeless who are seniors: 36%
- Number of homeless people who died in Berkeley 2019: 5 to 7
- Number of shelter beds available year-round in Berkeley: 289
- Number of shelter beds added during inclement weather: 40
- Amount spent on direct services to help people who are homeless: $17 million
- Amount that comes from Berkeley’s general fund: $3.5 million
- Number of homeless outreach people staffed or funded by the city: 11
- Number of other homeless outreach staff funded by other agencies: 3
- City mental health staff who do intensive case management: 18
- City staff on the mobile crisis team and transitional outreach team: 6
- Total number of staff who provide services to people who are homeless: 38
- Number of staff who enforce keeping sidewalks clean: 3-4
- Number of people who have gone through the new STAIR Navigation center: 170
- Number of those at STAIR center who have been housed: 102
- Percentage of the STAIR clients who still are housed: 93%
- Number of people housed through the city’s coordinated entry program between Jan. 2016 and May 2019: 145
- Number of homeless people in Berkeley who said they don’t want housing: 3%
- Number of encampments in Berkeley, according to EveryOneHome: 15
- Number of sanctioned encampments: 0
- Oldest encampment: Here There (2.5 years, with some lapses)
- People at encampments in 2019 with health and safety concerns that needed moving: 65.
- Number offered housing vouchers: 65
- Number of people at encampments who redeemed vouchers for shelter in 2019: 2
- Number of portable toilets in Berkeley: 26
- Number of portable hand-washing stations in Berkeley: 10
- Number of units of permanent supportive housing available: 431.
- Number of “EasyAccess” library cards (where no fixed address is required) issued: 1,082
- Number of organizations offering free meals in Berkeley in any given week: 20
- Number of RV dwellers: 150, according to EveryOneHome
- Number of RV dwellers: 200, according to Berkeley Police Department
- Number of storage lockers available in the Veteran’s Building: 58
- Size of each locker: Nine cubic feet (3×3)
- Amount of space people can take up on Berkeley’s sidewalks: Nine cubic feet. (3×3)
- Length of time objects can be left unattended on the sidewalk: two hours
- Calls for service to the city regarding encampments between January and June 2019: 450
- Calls for service to the city in 2019 for enforcement of regulations to keep sidewalks clean: 220
- Tons picked up by public works crews at homeless encampments for the year ending June 30: 233
- Number of times public works crews went to pick up debris at encampments in that time span: 75
- Average tons of debris picked up by public works crews on those occasions:3.1
- Amount individuals and companies have donated to the city’s Homeless Fund: $230,000
These figures were gathered from Berkeley city documents, EveryOneHome documents (both the 2017 point-in-time report and come recently-released 2019 numbers), Jesse Arreguín’s website, Consider the Homeless organization, and Berkeleyside’s own reporting.
This story is part of the SF Homeless Project. On July 31, Berkeleyside is joining, for the third time, with dozens of Bay Area media outlets for one day of coverage focused on people living on the streets and in shelters.
