How many are unhoused in Fresno County? Here’s what advocates say, and the official tally

The number of people living unhoused in Fresno County can be difficult to pin down as it’s often changing and an inexact science, according to advocates.

While commenting on a homeless encampment that has recently become more visible, a couple of people who work with the unhoused described the number of people living on the street significantly differently — a range of about 8,000.

A Fresno Irrigation District canal near Dakota Avenue between Palm and Fruit avenues has seen a growing number of people setting up tents and makeshift shelters as a place to live, according to a March 10 report.

An advocate with volunteer group We Are Not Invisible, Dez Martinez estimated about 10,000 people in Fresno County are unhoused.

That number was closer to 1,800, according to Phil Skei, Fresno’s assistant director of planning and development said on Monday.

How many unhoused are in Fresno?

So who was right? Well, part of the problem with knowing the correct amount comes from the annual count, which serves as a measuring stick despite being known to not be completely accurate.

Officially, there are 4,493 as of Jan. 24, 2023, the most recent count available, in the Fresno and Madera counties tally.

The two counties work together through the Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care. The numbers for the count last year were not public until about six months later.

The number of unhoused includes more than just people who can be seen along a canal. The Continuum tallies those unsheltered on the streets or in some form of emergency or longer-term shelter.

Whether a person is homeless is not something a volunteer can see simply by looking at them. People need to be willing to describe themselves and their living situations during a short interview conducted during the annual count.

The tally takes place during one night a year and involves a few hundred volunteers, and most places in California use the same method.

The point-in-time counts in each jurisdiction matter the most when it comes to funding, because that is what the state uses to determine how much goes to each jurisdiction, including cities, counties and federally recognized tribal governments.

The fifth and most recent round of Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program divvied up $1 billion, which was equal to each of the previous two rounds.