photo credit: KRCB News 

On June 23, the county released its preliminary point‑in‑time homelessness count, showing that so far this year the number has remained steady with last year. The current count shows 1,951 people experiencing homelessness. Last year, Sonoma County saw a 23 percent drop in homelessness, the biggest decrease on record since the county began the count in 2007.

The largest increase in the report is a 46 percent rise in youth homelessness, from 115 to 168 people. Sullivan links the increase in part to the abrupt closure of Social Advocates for Youth, or SAY. Before it closed in 2024, SAY was Sonoma County’s largest homeless youth services provider.

Other subpopulations also shifted. The number of families experiencing homelessness fell 46 percent, from 78 to 42. Chronic homelessness also rose 12 percent. 

County officials say the leveling is surprising as funding cuts continue to ripple through the homelessness support system. They say this year’s numbers reflect funding that was available before the reductions. Now, the funding is drying up, officials said.

“It really is sort of like the tail end of the heyday,” said Sonoma County Health Services Director Nolan Sullivan. “I think unfortunately the party is over.”

Last year, California’s main state homelessness fund was proposed to be cut from $1 billion to zero, before being partially restored in the final budget. Federal cuts also continue to put pressure on local organizations.

Sullivan said the department is “terrified” to see the next round of cuts. He said the county is preparing for a significant funding loss across the entire homelessness support system.

“There’s just no way that we will continue to make the progress we’ve made in the past,” Sullivan said. “Even last year, we were looking at hundreds of units being eliminated, and I suspect that whatever we hear in the next couple weeks will also be bad news for Sonoma County.”