San Diego, CA
County homelessness drops by 1%, but unsheltered numbers drop by double-digits
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.
San Diego, CA
Man Stabbed 4 Times Outside San Diego Bar; Suspect Arrested
The victim was smoking outside the business when a 35-year-old man approached him, threatened to kill him and pulled a knife at around 10 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Cardiff Street, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police said the attacker stabbed the man twice in the chest and twice in the arm. It was unclear what prompted the stabbing.
San Diego, CA
USA fans pack San Diego bar to cheer on USMNT’s dominant World Cup knockout win
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Fans packed Fairplay in North Park to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team’s dominant World Cup win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, with more than 400 people filling the venue before kickoff.
The crowd reached max capacity with ease, with some fans arriving as early as 8:45 a.m.
Brittney Slack was among those who showed up ready to go bright and early, with a blue sequin shirt and her laptop to “work from home” — or something like that.
ABC 10News
“Does your boss know this is happening?” ABC 10News asked.
“You know, I was in a virtual meeting this morning in the full garb, so I think they’re aware. But you know what? Americans are great at multitasking. I think we’re one of the most competitive nations, not only in sports but in the business world as well. So, here we are,” Slack said.
The U.S. men fought hard for their first knockout-stage win since 2002, beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, drawing fans of all levels of soccer fandom.
“To me, it doesn’t matter if it’s ping pong, if it’s foosball, if it’s soccer, if it’s baseball. I’m going to root for America no matter what. Obviously, this is an amazing event on a world stage, so it’s a lot of fun,” Nick Montesano said.
Indiana Rockwell, perhaps the youngest fan in the bar, summed up the energy.
“It’s really loud, but I’m really proud of the USA,” Rockwell said.
ABC 10News
Fairplay owner Adam Cook took it a step further — turning the bar into a stage to lead a USA chant after the win was secured.
The U.S. takes on Belgium on Monday at 5 p.m. PT at Lumen Field, referred to as Seattle Stadium during the tournament.
Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
San Diego, CA
San Diego family celebrates UCSD graduation amid ICE fears
Why this matters
Tens of thousands of children who are U.S. citizens live with an undocumented parent in San Diego County. Fears of deportation can alter their lives.
Emily Galicia’s mother stood out among the thousands of friends and family members gathered on a grass lawn at UC San Diego’s 2026 graduation ceremony.
Her red felt hat was easy to spot as she weaved through the crowd, scanning the smiling graduates filing off the stage for her daughter, a bouquet of white roses and a teddy bear clutched in her arm.
But earlier in her senior year, Galicia had worried her mom wouldn’t be there to celebrate her graduation at all.
In October, her mom hadn’t returned home after a scheduled appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead, she had been detained and held in ICE custody, leaving Galicia, 22, and her older sister, 26, on their own for about a month.
“I never thought it would happen,” Galicia said.
President Donald Trump’s administration is on a mission to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history. It has sparked political debates and pointed discussions about public safety and American identity, but the impact on the children of undocumented parents is much less abstract.
Immigration advocates say the administration has targeted immigrant families who have been in the U.S. for decades, some of whom have been checking in regularly with federal officials — despite claims from officials that they are focusing on deporting the “worst of the worst.”
This week, the Supreme Court delivered one of the most significant blows to the administration’s immigration agenda so far — a decision with profound consequences for immigrant families. The justices ruled 6-3 against allowing the administration to eliminate birthright citizenship for babies born on American soil to some parents without citizenship.
But other policy changes remain in place that could affect thousands of immigrant parents and their kids locally. According to an estimate from the nonprofit American Immigration Council, about 56,500 children under 18 lived with an undocumented parent in San Diego County in 2023.
While Galicia’s mom was eventually released from detention, the arrest altered her youngest daughter’s last year in college: Galicia moved her classes online to be able to take her mom to immigration and medical appointments, she spent less time with friends in her senior year of college, and she lived the constant anxiety that immigration agents were watching her family.
“If it was a choice between graduating and helping my mom, I would choose to help my mom,” Galicia said.
For families and communities across the U.S., graduation season is a time for celebration and optimism for the future. For immigrant families in particular, a child’s graduation can mean the realization of dreams generations in the making, through sacrifices and hard work.
That was true for Galicia and her family earlier this month on the UCSD campus.
Her graduation cap was decorated in pink, with lace and cloth roses adorning the top, along with the words, “Lo logré, Mama,” written in pearl beads.
“I made it, Mom.”


The biggest lesson
Galicia knew the sacrifices her mom, who used to come home from long days of work with swollen feet and tired eyes, made for her and sister.
After the sisters’ dad died from a heart attack, Galicia’s mom considered moving her daughters back to her home country of Mexico, where the rest of her family remained.
She decided instead that they should grow up and go to school in their own home country, the U.S.
“I always tell them: The three of us are in this together, and together we always pull through,” Galicia’s mom said in Spanish.

inewsource is not naming Galicia’s mother because she has a pending immigration case and her family fears retaliation from the government. She has been detained by ICE twice, the first time during the first Trump administration.
The oldest daughter Serenity, then 17, had to figure out how to pay rent, post bail for her mom and take care of her younger sister. When ICE detained her mom again almost 10 years later, Serenity said she felt no more prepared as she was when she was a teenager.
“I think most of those days it was just me sitting on my desk and crying at the same time while doing what I needed to do for work,” she said.
According to ICE, the agency made about 10,500 arrests in San Diego and Imperial counties in the first 14 months of Trump’s second term. About 1,500 of those arrests happened near schools, hospitals, houses of worship and other places after the administration loosened guidelines around enforcement in such “sensitive locations.”
Most of those arrested, like Galicia’s mother, have no criminal record, according to an inewsource analysis of ICE arrests in the region from Trump’s inauguration through October 2025.
Galicia graduated June 13 with a degree in economics and a minor in ethnic studies. She said she wants to use her degree to help working-class immigrant families like hers and support her mom.
Outside of the graduation ceremony, the three posed for photos in front of a green hedge, laughing and crying as they embraced the graduating Galicia in the middle.
Despite the recent challenges, Galicia holds onto the biggest lesson her mom bestowed: Have hope for the future.
“People can take everything away from you, and you can essentially go down to rock bottom, but there’s always a way to keep going forward,” Galicia said.
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