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Almost one in three people experiencing homelessness in the United States lives in California. The state is also among the top for unaccompanied homeless youth. And in Sonoma County’s most recent report, youth homelessness spiked by 46 percent.

County officials say the sharp rise stems largely from the 2024 closure of Social Advocates for Youth, the county’s largest youth shelter. Hunter Scott, Deputy Health Services Division Director for Homelessness, said outreach teams struggled to stay connected with young people after the closure.

“The team that I was overseeing at the time made 700 calls in a three-month period to try to stay in contact with these youth,” Scott said. “Ultimately, they were able to stay in contact with about 50 of them, but that's obviously not the full population.”

The rise can also be linked to state and federal funding slipping away in recent years. Michael Gause, Sonoma County’s Ending Homelessness program manager, says the county saw a 17 percent drop last year in core funding for shelter, housing and outreach — and estimates a 70 percent reduction for homelessness services across all funding streams.

“That's kind of a double whammy effect when it comes to youth, because youth programs are much more targeted,” Gause said. “And when you have a reduction there, it's going to hit that community probably in a different way.”

Gause says family instability is the leading driver of youth homelessness locally, and LGBTQ and BIPOC youth are disproportionately affected. Suicide is the leading cause of death among youth experiencing homelessness. This is why, Gause said, it’s so important to keep resources available to this population.

County officials say that with all of these impending cuts, they don’t expect homelessness numbers to decrease — and aren’t hopeful they can even keep them level.

But there are still pockets of money to be found. Catholic Charities is in the process of launching a new youth shelter locally, thanks to a federal grant.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the suicide and crisis hotline at 988.