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Palm Desert reports large local drop in unsheltered homelessness in latest Point‑in‑Time results
Summary
City staff reported that the county’s January Point‑in‑Time count showed nearly 4,000 people countywide and that Palm Desert’s local total homelessness fell about 64% with unsheltered homelessness down roughly 80%; increases in sheltered counts reflect more people accepting shelter and services.
Ivan Tenorio, Palm Desert’s homeless and supportive services manager, presented the results of the region’s most recent Point‑in‑Time (PIT) count and reviewed local trends at the June 26 city council meeting.
Tenorio reminded the council that the annual PIT count is a HUD requirement and occurs each January as a snapshot of homelessness on a single morning to support funding allocations and program planning. He said the county’s updated report recorded nearly 4,000 individuals countywide. Tenorio told the council that Palm Desert experienced an almost 64% drop in total homelessness compared with the most recent comparable count and an almost 80% decline in the unsheltered population; he also said the sheltered homelessness figure rose roughly 11% as more people entered shelter and accepted services.
Tenorio credited coordinated outreach and partnerships — including county programs, CVAG, city code compliance and the sheriff’s department — for local improvements and noted the role of organizations such as CityNet in connecting people to services. He answered council questions about PIT definitions (for example, living in a car counts as unsheltered; “sheltered” refers to people in recognized shelters reflected in shelter records) and said staff would continue coordinated outreach and reporting.
Councilmembers praised staff and partners for the progress and encouraged continued collaboration. Tenorio said the PIT data are used to shape county and regional funding and program priorities and that Palm Desert will continue working with partners to reduce unsheltered homelessness and increase access to shelter and services.
