Results of 2025 Point in Time (PIT) Count Released for Mendocino County

Ukiah, CA - The Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care (MCHSCoC) has released its results from the 2025 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in Mendocino County. More than 30 volunteers took part in this year’s PIT Count, which was held on the morning of January 29, 2025. The data collected on that night is organized and submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is typically approved and released back to the community in the fall.

In 2025, volunteers counted 636 individuals experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness – 196 of those individuals were in shelter, and 440 of those individuals were unsheltered on the night of January 28. Utilizing a location-based application, short surveys were administered to individuals and families residing on the streets and in vehicles, makeshift shelters, encampments, and other places not meant for human habitation throughout the County. Non-responsive observed persons were documented and included in the Count totals as well.

2025 marks the second year that our community canvased and included Tribal lands in our PIT Count reporting. The participation of Tribal Leadership has enabled the County to more effectively document the prevalence of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who identify as Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. The Governing Board of the Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care is deeply grateful for our growing partnership with our Tribal Nations as we work collaboratively to solve the problems of homelessness with unity and in partnership.

The PIT Count is a single, imperfect tool aimed at measuring outcomes related to homelessness. Many different factors can influence the results of a PIT Count, including the weather, the number and experience of volunteer canvassers, the level of preparation and training in advance of the count, the availability and skill of Lived Experience Guides, and unexpected events on the day of the count itself. For these reasons, we believe that observing long-term trends over several years is the most effective way to use PIT Count data to measure homelessness outcomes. When taking a multi-year approach to data

analysis, we observe the following:

• Since 2020, the number of unsheltered homeless has declined by 23%.
• Since 2020, the number of housing units identified specifically for homeless individuals has increased by 35%.
• Since 2020, the number of shelter beds has held relatively steady.

These multi-year trends indicate steady progress on reducing homelessness in Mendocino County. Trends in PIT Count data are supported by additional data points collected outside of the PIT Count process.

• Since 2021, at least 1,135 literally homeless individuals were housed in permanent housing in Mendocino County.
• Since 2021, the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority has noted a 34% reduction in calls for service for homeless individuals.
• Since 2021, 353 new units of housing have been built in Mendocino County, with 104 of those units specifically designated for persons and families experiencing homelessness.

These promising trends support the theory that creating and supporting permanent housing itself is perhaps the most critical pathway to the long-term resolution of homelessness in our communities. We give credit and gratitude to our local jurisdictions and developers working hard to build new housing and look forward to new projects opening in our community within the next few years.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires all Continuums of Care to conduct a Point-in-Time Count every other year, on odd years.  Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care will not conduct the unsheltered count component of a full PIT Count in 2026 but will submit data to HUD of the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) which reflects a demographic analysis of the shelter beds available and in use on a single night in January 2026.

A detailed PIT count report for 2025 can be accessed at the CoC website at https://mendocinococ.org/pit-counts.

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