San Bernardino County gains national attention for efforts to address homelessness

The Board of Supervisors’ commitment to addressing homelessness has been recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo).

A 2023 NACo Achievement Award was presented to the county for implementing Point-In-Time Count (PITC) virtual training, which resulted in a 41 percent increase in the number of volunteers trained between 2020 and 2022.

Before virtual trainings, San Bernardino County prepared volunteers for the annual homeless count at various county offices, which created a barrier for potential volunteers who could not attend. To address this issue, the county moved PITC trainings to a virtual setting, allowing for more volunteers to attend without having to travel to a physical site.

The Board of Supervisors has taken bold steps to address homelessness, such as adopting the 2022 Homeless Strategic Action Plan and allocating $72 million toward permanent housing and other support systems and services.

San Bernardino County won 160 NACo 2023 Achievement Awards, nearly doubling the number of awards it won last year, and leads with more awards than any of the nation’s more than 3,000 counties.

The PITC is an annual survey of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. The results of the survey provide insight to the Board of Supervisors for developing policies to prevent and end homelessness. The data is also shared with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“The PITC is important in many different ways, mainly because it provides us with a baseline to monitor our progress in addressing homelessness,” said Director of Community Development and Housing Carrie Harmon.

This year, the PITC survey indicated that San Bernardino County’s homeless population grew by 26 percent. In total, 4,195 individuals were identified as homeless. PITC volunteers searched cars, parks, sidewalks, parking lots, and vacant buildings to make this determination. Much of that increase is attributed to the growing number of volunteers finding more of the county’s homeless.

“It is truly an honor to receive a NACo Achievement Award for our virtual PITC trainings,” said Interim Chief of Homeless Services Kristin Stevens. “This strategy increased our participation rate, which allowed us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness in our county. We are so grateful to the many PITC volunteers who contributed to this effort.”

The PITC is sponsored by the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership in collaboration with the Office of Homeless Services and the Institute for Urban Initiatives. For more information about Homeless Services, visit homelesstohome.sbcounty.gov.

Additional County Update News – September 1, 2023