Amy Davis-Pacheco, left, with the non-profit 211OC, surveys Harley Ramsey, 31, who has been homeless for a year, during the “Point-in-Time” count in Anaheim on Saturday, January 28, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Encampments like this along the Santa Ana River Trail are the target of the “Point-in-Time” count and survey of homeless people in Anaheim on Saturday, January 28, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Encampments like this along the Santa Ana River Trail are targeted for the “Point-in-Time” count and survey of homeless people in Anaheim on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Adam Montague, left, and Will Shaw with 211OC had no luck getting anyone to chat at this site.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Amy Davis-Pacheco, left, with the non-profit 211OC, chats with Mitzi Granados, 30, during the “Point-in-Time” homeless count and survey in Anaheim on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Granados, who has been homeless for two years, lives along the river bed with with her boyfriend and two dogs, including Waffllicious, pictured. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Homelessness in Orange County rose at a faster pace since 2015, ticking up nearly 8 percent since the last one-night census, according to the first figures released Friday, May 12, from the Point in Time Count & Survey conducted in January.

The 2017 federally mandated snapshot, taken every two years in Orange County, recorded 4,792 homeless people, more than half living without shelter.

The 2015 survey documented 4,452 homeless people, an increase of about 5 percent from the previous biennial count.

The county provided only limited information from the Jan. 28 homeless survey, with a full report and more details on who the homeless are and where they are living expected to be completed in June:

— 340 more homeless were counted than in 2015, a 7.6 percent increase

— 2,584 people had no shelter and slept outdoors, in vehicles, or other places not intended for habitation

— 1,248 were in emergency shelters

— 960 stayed in transitional housing

— Men outnumbered women, nearly 3 to 1

— 357 were homeless military veterans

The central part of the county — including Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa — had the bulk of the unsheltered homeless population.

Volunteers recruited and trained by 2-1-1 Orange County, the county’s central referral agency for health and human services, fanned out in the early morning hours to pre-mapped areas to do the head count and conduct brief interviews with willing participants.

The Point-In-Time Count is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and determines the allocation of millions in federal dollars for housing and other services for the homeless. Advocates argue that the count gives only part of the picture and falls short of showing the true size and needs of the homeless population.

The county’s press release also cited local efforts being undertaken to relieve homelessness: $23.5 million committed to provide shelter, including the recently opened Bridges at Kraemer shelter and multiservice center in Anaheim and the Courtyard shelter in downtown Santa Ana; and the start of what will be a $33 million effort, called the Whole Person Care Initiative, targeting homeless people frequently treated at emergency rooms.

For more information, go to ocgov.com.