Fresno Facts


Homeless Resources in Fresno

For up-to-date information regarding local resources visit United Way of Fresno.

Library Materials

Recommended search terms for library material on homelessness in Fresno are:

Homelessness Overview 

United States and California 
  • As of January 2014, 578,424 people were homeless nationwide with 69% in residential programs and 31% in unsheltered locations. 
    • 23.5% were under the age of 18
    • 10.1% were between the ages 18-24
    • 66.4% were 25 years or older [1]
  • Although California accounts for 20% of the nation’s homeless population, there has been an 18% decline between 2007-2014. [2]
Fresno County
  • Fresno Madera Continuum of Care Point-in-Time (PIT) Count reports in 2014 that there are 2,597 sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals in Fresno/Madera County. In the 2013 PIT Count, there were 3,131 homeless individuals. [3]

  • 72.5% of the total homeless population in Fresno and Madera is unsheltered while 27.5% is sheltered. Of the 72.5% that are unsheltered, a majority of homeless individuals (81.5%) reside in the City of Fresno alone. [4]


  • Statistics gathered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show that Fresno-Madera Counties have the second highest unsheltered rate as a major Continuum of Care (CoC). [5]



  • As of 2013, Fresno County had 6,738 homeless students, in which 3,729 students were enrolled at Fresno Unified School District. These students are “homeless and living in hotels or motels, shelters, doubling up with family or on the street.” In addition, these statistics do not include students who lack the knowledge or awareness that they are considered homeless. [6]
Attributes of the Homeless in Fresno-Madera
  • Surveying 495 unsheltered individuals, the Fresno-Madera PIT Count reports that the average length of homelessness is over three years with almost half of the unsheltered homeless to be continually homeless. [7]
  • Brain injury, asthma, stroke, heart disease, and Hepatitis C are common physical health problem for unsheltered homeless individuals experience. Furthermore, 3/4 of the surveyed group reported drug or alcohol abuse problems. [8]


 Comparison of Fresno-Madera County to Similar-Sized Counties

Combining Fresno and Madera County, there is an estimated population of 1,107,661 individuals. Other similar-sized counties in California include Contra Costa County (1,094,205) and Kern County (864,124). [9]  27.5% of homeless individual from Fresno and Madera Counties received shelter while totals for Contra Costa and Kern Counties were approximately double of that, at 64.5% and 58.6% respectively. [10, 11]   Given comparable median household income and percentage of persons below the poverty line to that of Kern County, Fresno and Madera Counties are addressing the issue of unsheltered homelessness at a slower pace. 




Comparison of Fresno-Madera County to Rest of California 

Compared to the average of California counties, Fresno County is economically disadvantaged in that there is a higher percentage of person below the poverty level and a much lower median household income. [13]



 Current Efforts by Fresno County and City of Fresno

According to Shelter Listings, there are 27 homeless shelters and supportive housing centers listed in Fresno, CA. [14] These 27 listings include emergency/ homeless/ day shelters, transitional housing, permanent housing, rehabilitation programs, and housing assistance agencies. So far, no total count of number of beds exists. Also, the lack of come-as-you-are emergency shelters remains "the most critical need for serving the homeless in Fresno,” especially toward individuals that do not adhere to rules (i.e. substance or drug abuse) imposed by organizations aiding the homeless and underserved. [15]

The City of Fresno and County of Fresno adopted the “10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness” in August 2008 with a “housing first” approach. In 2013/14, a grand jury investigated the progress made thus far and “evaluate[d] this plan against alternatives to meet the needs of the homeless and the community.” [16]  They recommended the following five actions:

1. A come-as-you-are shelter,
2. A police task force that interacts with the homeless, 
3. Ordinances against panhandling and unapproved use of shopping carts,
4. Dual approach to homeless services, and 
5. Formation of a NGO that can provide leadership to bring homeless services together.


Resources

[1] The 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: PART 1 Point-in-Time      Estimates of Homelessness. October 2014.                                                                                              https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2014-AHAR-Part1.pdf
[2] The 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress
[3] 2014 Fresno-Madera PIT Count Full Report. www.fresnomaderahomeless.org/
[4] 2014 Fresno-Madera PIT Count Full Report. www.fresnomaderahomeless.org/
[5] The 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: PART 1 Point-in-Time       Estimates of Homelessness. October 2014.
[6] Thousands of school children homeless in Fresno County. Fresno Bee. Bonhia Lee. September 10, 2014.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/10/4116464_thousands-of-school-children-homeless.html?rh=1 
[7] 2014 Fresno-Madera PIT Count Full Report. www.fresnomaderahomeless.org/
[8] 2014 Fresno-Madera PIT Count Full Report. www.fresnomaderahomeless.org/
[9] US Census Bureau: American Fact Finder.
[10] Contra Costa County Homeless Continuum of Care. http://cchealth.org/homeless/data-evaluation/pdf/Annual-Report-FY-2013-2014.pdf
[11] 2014 Kern County Point-In-Time Homeless Count. http://www.kernhomeless.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news_item&news_id=174
[12] Homeless Public School Students. http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/40/homelessness/summary.
[13] US Census Bureau: American Fact Finder.
[15] Fresno County 2013-2014 Grand Jury Report #2: Review of Homelessness and the City
of Fresno and County of Fresno "10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.”                                     http://www.fresno.courts.ca.gov/_pdfs/Grand%20Jury%20Reports/Grand%20Jury%20Final%20Report%202013-2014.pdf
[16] Fresno County 2013-2014 Grand Jury Report #2.                                                                             http://www.fresno.courts.ca.gov/_pdfs/Grand%20Jury%20Reports/Grand%20Jury%20Final%20Report%202013-2014.pdf






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