Graphic courtesy of Pasadena Partnership (PasadenaPartnership.org) 
 
 
The 2017 Pasadena Homeless Count was conducted on January 24th, and the recently-released results show a slight increase over last year, rising from 530 people to 575. This uptick comes after five years of steep decline, down from a peak of 1,216 in 2011.

Many factors affected this year’s single-night count. Most importantly, the count was conducted on a particularly cold and rainy night when Pasadena’s bad weather shelters were open, while those in some neighboring cities remained closed. This situation led to a greater number of sheltered homeless individuals in Pasadena on the evening of the count. Furthermore, analysis of the count shows a very slight reduction in persons living on the streets, indicating that the small overall increase can be attributed mainly to this increase in the sheltered population.

Despite growth in the overall number of homeless individuals and families, there is much to be excited about in the findings from this year’s count. For example, not only was chronic homelessness in Pasadena reduced by 15% last year, but Pasadena also achieved functional zero for veterans (one of the most vulnerable subpopulations) as well as for unsheltered homeless families.

The fundamental takeaway from this year’s count is that while our mission to end homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley isn’t over, we’ve seen incredible progress so far. With your ongoing support, we will continue to fight toward this goal until it is reached.

To read the full report, visit PasadenaPartnership.org.