BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Homelessness in Kern County ticked up in 2026, with a new count finding 2,690 people experiencing homelessness across the county — a 3.2 percent increase from 2025 — as housing affordability, economic instability, rising rent costs, and job loss were cited among the main reasons more people are experiencing homelessness for the first time.
FILE – A man walks past a homeless encampment in downtown Los Angeles, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
The Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative’s 2026 Point-in-Time count found Bakersfield had the highest number of people experiencing homelessness, with more than 1,000 people counted.
Oildale saw one of the largest increases in unsheltered homelessness, with the unsheltered count rising from 102 people in 2025 to 181 people in 2026.
Carlos Baldovinos of the Mission at Kern County said the numbers have remained largely steady in recent years, even as service providers continue their work.
“When you look at the numbers, the last three years, they’ve been very flat,” Baldovinos said.
He said that it can be difficult for those working in the field.
“As a service provider, it could be very frustrating because all the work that’s happening, you feel like, okay, is this is it working, right? That’s a good self-reflection or is it really working? What we’re doing is it really working?” Baldovinos said.
Asked whether the increase reflects more people becoming homeless or whether improved counting methods also played a role, Baldovinos said the report is only a one-day snapshot, but the way the county counts people has expanded over the years.
Bakersfield Police and other authorities, such as park rangers, work to clear out homeless encampments along the Kern River bed in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. PHOTO: BPD
“Now you’ve added, you have the day count, we have the shelter count, the street, you know, the out route, the outside areas. But also you’ve gone into the outlying areas that are, you know, your Lamonts, your Artists, your Oscars, and such.
And also, they’ve done something in the encampments where they’ve counted people, little more in depth,” Baldovinos said.
Countywide, more than half of people experiencing homelessness — about 54 percent — were living unsheltered.
The count also found that more than 650 adults self-reported a serious mental illness, while 429 people reported struggling with substance use disorders.
“You always got to think of treatment first,” Baldovinos said.
Bakersfield Police and other authorities, such as park rangers, work to clear out homeless encampments along the Kern River bed in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. PHOTO: BPD
Despite the overall increase, the report also highlighted improvements. Kern County saw a 284 percent increase in people moving from street outreach into temporary housing destinations.
The report also showed a 128 percent increase in people leaving emergency shelters for permanent housing, along with a 338 percent increase in households helped through diversion programs.
Baldovinos said Kern County needs to keep focusing on outreach and diversion programs to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place. He also said more investment is needed in permanent supportive housing to help people leaving shelters find long-term stability.