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Yuba–Sutter Point‑in‑Time Count Falls; County Warned of Shrinking State HAP Funding
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Summary
A homelessness consortium presenter told the Yuba County Board that the January 2025 point‑in‑time count found 830 people across Yuba and Sutter counties (a 14% drop from 2023); presenters cautioned that state HAP funding is likely to shrink and urged the county to protect shelters and prevention programs.
Johnny, a presenter for the regional homeless-convening group, told the Yuba County Board of Supervisors that the January 2025 point‑in‑time count recorded 830 people experiencing homelessness across Yuba and Sutter counties, down from 963 in 2023. "The total number of folks in Yuba and Sutter Counties combined experiencing homelessness that we were able to count was 830," he said, and he reported Yuba County’s count fell from 545 to 437, a 20% decline on the Yuba side of the river.
County officials and the presenter framed the decline as a sign local programs are having an effect, pointing to coordinated shelters, prevention programming and Medi‑Cal/CalAIM‑linked case management. The presenter stressed the difference between a point‑in‑time snapshot and the year‑round caseload: the bi‑county active client list exceeded 3,300 people during calendar year 2024, he said.
The presentation also flagged an important fiscal risk. The state Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HAP) program has awarded widely varying amounts across rounds; the presenter said HAP3 and HAP4 brought large allocations but HAP6 statewide allocations dropped to about $760 million and HAP7 is projected at roughly $500 million. He warned that allocations to the local consortium and Yuba County will be driven in part by the point‑in‑time numbers and that the area should expect reduced HAP dollars unless alternate funding is found.
Supervisors pressed staff on details: how much of mental‑health spending is split between Yuba and Sutter counties, whether individuals counted were from out of county, and whether temporary shelter losses (for example, the depot beds) would affect statistics and future funding. The presenter said outreach and prevention work reduce inflows, that a sizable share of people served by local programs report Yuba area ties, and that available shelter capacity (and the state’s view of continuity of sheltering) will influence future allocations.
The presenter urged continued investment in prevention and shelter sustainability, saying that reductions in HAP would likely force cuts to new housing project funding and to prevention and shelter supports if replacement funds are not found. The board thanked the presenter and directed staff to continue monitoring HAP contracting status and state performance measures.
