6000 more to go: Assessing San Francisco’s Homeless Count

by Beyond Chron (reposted)

Sat, Feb 19, 2005 9:57AM

When the number of homeless General Assistance recipients fell from 2497 in May 2004 to 697 in January 2005, nobody should be surprised that the number of homeless persons in San Francisco has apparently declined by 28% since 2002. Both sides of the Care not Cash dispute argued that it would reduce the number of homeless welfare recipients, and everyone was proved right. But there remain nearly 6000 homeless persons in San Francisco, and the city must create new options for housing them.

Homeless counts have never been an exact science. Nobody can claim that every homeless person is seen by counters on a particular night, so the actual numbers will always exceed the number counted.

But the counting process in 2005 was more systematic than in 2002. It is difficult to argue with the conclusion that whatever the exact number, homelessness is down in San Francisco.

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