New data from Sacramento County’s 2026 Point-in-Time count shows a sharp increase in unsheltered homelessness in the county’s unincorporated areas, though officials say the numbers may not tell the full story.
The count found 1,140 people were unsheltered in unincorporated Sacramento County on a single evening in January 2026, compared with 561 people in 2024. That represents a 103.2% increase over two years.
The findings were discussed during a Tuesday informational hearing before the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
Among those speaking was Sacramento resident John Morales, who expressed frustration about conditions near the American River Parkway.
“Hundreds of transients live in the American River Parkway. The county has failed to keep the homeless out of the parkway.” Morales said.
Morales also showed supervisors a photo he said depicted a recent fire and described another incident he said occurred in his neighborhood.
Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez said the county is not doing enough to address homelessness and suggested leadership could be contributing to the increase.
“I think it could be the leadership. You know, we need individuals that that are that are very proactive, individuals that are not risk averse, individuals that have a vision. We have the homeless action plan, but we need people to take very aggressive measures to ensure that people don’t fall into homelessness.” Rodriguez said.
But Supervisor Rich Desmond questioned the accuracy of the numbers, criticizing the comparison with data collected in 2024.
“What we’re seeing this year is definitely skewed by what I think is very inaccurate information from 2024.” Desmond said.
Officials with Sacramento Steps Forward, the nonprofit that oversees the Point-in-Time count, said the survey is intended to provide a snapshot estimate of homelessness in the community and that many factors can affect the results.
“There’s nothing that I would actually point to now definitively that would explain that other than just to say this is how the numbers have changed and where people are showing up when they’re being engaged by volunteers in 2024 versus 2026.” Trent Simmons of Sacramento Steps Forward said.
Sacramento Steps Forward said it plans to begin conducting Point-in-Time counts annually starting in January in hopes of creating a more accurate picture of homelessness in the region.
The organization also said discussions are underway with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development about developing a more accurate and productive way to collect homelessness data.
According to Sacramento Steps Forward, both Point-in-Time count data and information from HUD’s Homeless Management Information System show an increase in the number of unsheltered people. The data does not indicate whether those individuals are experiencing homelessness for the first time or have been homeless for years.
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