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Homeless consortium reports lower point‑in‑time count; food bank cites surge in demand and military partnership
Summary
Johnny Burke reported a 14% drop to 830 in the combined Sutter‑Yuba point‑in‑time count and described coordinated‑entry activity; Maria Ball said the Yuba Sutter Food Bank served 2,350 individuals in a two‑hour emergency distribution and will use $7,500 of city funds to help create an 'airman's market' at Beale Air Force Base.
At the Nov. 18 Yuba City Council meeting, Johnny Burke delivered the homeless consortium’s annual update, reporting a combined Sutter‑Yuba point‑in‑time count of 830 people — a 14 percent decline from two years earlier — while stressing the number still reflects hundreds of neighbors without housing.
"Our total number for both counties combined was 830 individuals, which is still a lot of people, but our numbers went down. That's a 14% decrease from 2 years ago for our area," Burke said, attributing the improvement to coordinated outreach, shelter expansions and recent housing projects.
Burke distinguished point‑in‑time counts from coordinated‑entry 'touch' counts, saying the latter gives a broader picture of people who interact with local homeless‑response systems over a calendar year. He reported 3,383 unduplicated people touched coordinated entry in 2024 and said the region filed an unsheltered count of 528 with HUD — the lowest since 2020 — while cautioning point‑in‑time snapshots understate year‑round service needs.
Following that update, Maria Ball, executive director of the Yuba Sutter Food Bank, described an emergency distribution the food bank staged in response to CalFresh delays and a federal shutdown. She told the council the city had approved $15,000 to support the food bank’s emergency work and said half of that donation — $7,500 — is earmarked to help serve airmen and families at Beale Air Force Base.
"We served 2,350 individuals that represented 650 families in 2 hours' time," Ball said, explaining the event drew volunteers and media and underscored demand for food assistance. She added that the food bank recovered over 1.7 million pounds of food in 2024 and anticipates similar or higher recovery in 2025.
Ball said the food bank is partnering with Beale leadership to establish an "airman's market," a distribution model to offset household budgets for base families, and that the city‑provided funds would support that effort. She also described the food bank’s network of 50 partner agencies and its staff of 11 supplemented by thousands of volunteers.
Council members thanked the presenters, asked clarifying questions on unduplicated counts and intake definitions, and praised the youth advisory board and regional partnerships that contribute to prevention and housing efforts. Council requested follow‑up and continued coordination with county and state partners.
