The unhoused population in Orange County has ballooned in the last two years, according to the county’s latest Point In Time Summary.
The county said that the amount of homeless people in the county has risen 28%, or by about 1,600, since 2022. There was a 37% increase in the unsheltered segment of the unhoused population during that same time frame.
According to the report, there are 7,322 homeless people in Orange County. Among the unsheltered population, 2,031, or about half, suffer from a substance abuse disorder, according to the county.
The five-year tally, however, only showed a 7% increase between 2019 and 2024, as there was a decrease in the homeless population between 2019 and 2022.
Santa Ana and Anaheim were far and away the top two cities with the highest homeless populations, with 1,428 and 1,417 unhoused people, respectively. In Anaheim, 816 people, or about 57% of that population, is sheltered.
As for reasons for the increase, the county cited about $300 million in rental assistance that was awarded by the county and state during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as California’s Eviction Moratorium that was in place until the end of May in 2022.
The county said it’s still working to add more shelter beds, as the current capacity is just shy of 4,000.
