Contra Costa recognizes November as Homelessness Awareness Month; council releases toolkit and memorial plans

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 adopted resolutions recognizing November as Homeless Awareness Month and designating Dec. 21 as Homeless Persons Memorial Day. The board also acknowledged nominees for local recognition and heard from the Council on Homelessness and lived‑experience leaders.

Nicole Green, chair of the Council on Homelessness, said the county’s toolkit (listed in the meeting packet) includes three sections — Learn, Act and Celebrate — with data, videos from people with lived experience, volunteer and donation opportunities, and a calendar of events. The council reported nearly 100 nominations for recognition across categories and invited board members and the public to a noon reception to honor the nominees.

The council noted recent data: a 40% increase in people accessing homeless services and a 53% increase in transition-age youth accessing services over recent reporting periods. They also described system improvements including a 30–34% increase in temporary and permanent housing beds and a strong network of more than 50 partners. The council announced forthcoming youth training and a countywide memorial event in December (location to be determined; planned in partnership with SOS Richmond and NAMI Contra Costa).

Chair Anderson thanked the coalition of county departments and community-based organizations and noted the point-in-time count decline (27% decrease in people found in outdoor encampments compared with the prior year) while cautioning that 14,000 people accessed services over the prior year, indicating the broader scale of need.

The board took a photo with awardees and adopted the requested resolutions.