Lake County Gazette

The results of the Lake County Point in Time assessment of unhoused individuals indicate a 50% increase in homelessness in Lake County compared to 2023.

Lake County Board Chair, Sandy Hart, expressed her concern over the issue. "The Lake County Board is very concerned about the overall increase in homelessness, especially the number of families who are currently homeless in our county," she said, according to a Lake County press release. Hart added that they are "allocating more funding to help increase physical and mental health services, create more job opportunities and expand housing options that people can afford."

According to a Lake County press release, the assessment was a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This annual count is conducted across counties throughout the United States and reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The same press release reveals that the Lake County assessment found 701 individuals experiencing homelessness, marking an increase of those who are unsheltered or currently in shelters by 50%. Volunteers participating in the count used a specific list of questions to create an accurate snapshot of the unhoused.

According to another Lake County press release, the report includes data for the year ending Sept. 30, 2023. It indicated an increase in overall homelessness with 85% of the 1,087 people experiencing housing being unhoused for the first time. A significant rise was also recorded with a 75% increase in families who were homeless over Fiscal Year 2022. The report further noted that some form of abuse or trauma accounted for 78% of households being homeless.

Finally, according to yet another Lake County press release, it was revealed that there has been a decrease in average length of stay at shelters - down from 107 nights reported last year to just 93 nights this year.