SAN DIEGO (CNS) — The number of unsheltered homeless across San Diego County declined by 11% this year, but sheltered homelessness increased by 12%, according to the results of the 2026 Point-in-Time Count released Friday.

The PITC is conducted every January by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and is a one-day snapshot of the region’s homeless population.

All told, homelessness across the region decreased by 1%, from 9,905 individuals in 2025 to 9,803 in 2026.

“This is what progress looks like,” said RTFH CEO Tamera Kohler. “We’re seeing good results where we’ve made investments. As a region, we still do not have enough housing resources — there are no more housing vouchers, and HUD funding is uncertain. So the investments have been in diversion, sheltering and encampment resolutions. When we have adequate investments, we can reduce unsheltered homelessness.”

The 2026 count found 5,108 individuals living unsheltered, down from 5,714 last year, while 4,695 people were in shelters or transitional housing, up from 4,191.

The information collected is used to apply for federal and state funding to help people experiencing homelessness.

The number of unsheltered homeless dropped dramatically in several cities: 64.1% in Santee, 39.5% in El Cajon, 30% in Encinitas, 25% in La Mesa and 24.5% in Chula Vista.

In San Diego, which as the largest city in the county has a correspondingly large population of homeless residents, those unsheltered declined by 6.6%.

One of the region’s most pressing concerns is the increase in senior homelessness. Older adults make up 33% of the unsheltered population, up from 29% last year, and more than half are experiencing homelessness for the first time. The oldest individual RTFH volunteers engaged on the morning of this year’s count was an 86-year-old Latina woman in Chula Vista.

“It has to be a top-priority population,” Kohler said.

Serving Seniors President & CEO Melinda Forstey says the trend continues to show an increasing impact from homelessness on San Diego county’s older adults.

“While it is encouraging to see that overall homelessness has declined, the continued rise in homelessness among older adults is deeply concerning,” Forstey said. “Once again this year, older adults now make up one third of the region’s homeless population.”

Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe’s Villages — one of the region’s largest homelessness services providers — said the region should be doing better.

“We are disappointed to see that overall progress has stalled, with no change in the total number of people experiencing homelessness in our region, even as we’ve continued to invest in solutions,” he said. “More concerning, the data shows a growing crisis among older adults. This year, even more seniors fell into homelessness for the first time, continuing a troubling trend. This is a challenge for which our community is not prepared.”

Possible cuts to San Diego’s homelessness funds in the fiscal year 2027 budget also had Vargas concerned about loss of resources.

“As our population ages, we must act swiftly to prevent seniors from losing their homes and to provide targeted services that meet their unique needs,” he said. “Focusing on prevention, diversion, health care and housing is key to addressing homelessness. It is a travesty for anyone to spend their golden years on the streets.”

Positive developments from this year’s count include a 12% drop in unsheltered veterans, 26% decline in unsheltered transitional-age youth (18-24) and a 14% decrease in people living in vehicles.

“San Diegans should be encouraged by this progress,” said RTFH Board Chair Veronica Dela Rosa. “We are seeing results from targeted investments and strong regional collaboration. But we must stay focused and continue investing in what works.”

A total of 80% of people experiencing homelessness said they became homeless in San Diego County, “underscoring that this is primarily a local challenge driven by housing costs and economic pressures,” a RTFH statement read.

The data released Friday continues a trend of declining homelessness. In 2025, the number of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County dropped by 7%, and dropped by about 14% in the city of San Diego.

“Progress like this doesn’t happen by accident,” said Continuum of Care Advisory Board Chair Akilah Templeton. “It reflects the work of service providers, outreach teams, local governments and volunteers across the region. At the same time, we must continue expanding housing and services to meet the scale of the need.”

Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.

The national nonprofit A Better Childhood is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children’s Services. Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed the federal class-action lawsuit in March.

The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit, alleging foster children in state custody are at risk of harm because of systemic problems, and that the state violated federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Attorneys for the organization pointed to high caseloads for caseworkers and inadequate systems for hiring and training.

In her dismissal, Gleason wrote that attorneys from A Better Childhood didn’t prove that the foster youth whose stories were presented at trial were actually harmed or at serious risk of harm.

Marcia Lowry, the attorney who led the lawsuit against OCS said they’re appealing because the dismissal “focuses on the wrong issues” and “departs from long-standing precedent.”

Gleason’s decision is based on a “narrow and incorrect interpretation of whether the children have ‘legal standing’ to bring the case,” Lowry said.

She said the organization hopes to correct that legal error by appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Tracy Dompeling, who heads the state’s Department of Family and Community Services, emailed a statement that said the nonprofit wasn’t able to show in court that the state is violating the federal rights of foster children. She said the state is working “with care and professionalism to keep the state’s most vulnerable children safe.”

RELATED: Alaska’s foster care system is among the worst in the nation. Can a lawsuit force real reform?

PHOENIX — The Mammoth have generated a buzz in Utah, igniting a new fan base with a trip to the playoffs in their second season.

The previous fan base back in the desert still feels a connection with the franchise once known as the Arizona Coyotes and the players who set the foundation for its current success.

But there’s also a strange detachment from seeing the team they once rooted for playing in a city more than 600 miles away under a different name.

“I’m a hockey fan and I’ve been cheering for them; most of those guys, that team, that organization were here,” Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin said on Friday. “But in many ways, I feel disconnected from them. They’re playing in Utah, they have Utah fans, they play in a Utah arena.”

Galvin is trying to bring NHL hockey back to the Phoenix area.

Not long after the Coyotes left for Utah in 2024, he helped create an advisory committee that includes former Olympian Lyndsey Fry and Andrea Doan.

Fry, who grew up in the Phoenix area, has been a stalwart in Arizona youth hockey through various programs and spearheads community relations for the committee.

Doan has strong ties to hockey; her husband, Shane, was the longtime captain of the Coyotes and her son, Josh, is a current NHL player who started his career with the Coyotes. She works with Galvin on finding a potential owner for a potential NHL expansion team and possible sites for a new arena.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had repeatedly said the league would like to have a franchise in Arizona again — it owns the Coyotes name — but the right ownership and arena location have to be in place.

“We have to find a good and appropriate location for an arena — that has been an issue bedeviling the Coyotes for the better part of 25 years — and we need a billionaire to put up money to buy the team,” said Galvin, who works on the advisory committee on his own time. “So my joke is, if you know a billionaire, please let me know because there’s not that many around and that’s what it takes in professional sports these days.”

The Coyotes struggled during their 28-year run in Arizona, going through multiple owners and three different arenas.

The franchise had an arena plan for Tempe, but voters shot it down. Another proposal for an arena in Scottsdale fell through when previous owner Alex Meruelo couldn’t secure a land-rights deal, leading to the franchise’s move to Utah.

Coyotes fans have tried to keep a connection to the new version of the team, but it’s not quite the same from long distance.

“I’ve got to tell you, my enthusiasm for them really dropped off,” Galvin said. “But I do love watching hockey and enjoy watching great other teams.”

Galvin is doing his best to bring it back to Arizona in person.