What's at stake?
Homelessness has been rising in the Fresno-Madera region for over a decade, according to new data, despite efforts to build more shelters, supportive housing, and eliminate encampments.
For over a decade now, the homeless population has continued to grow in the Fresno-Madera region, despite efforts by local governments to quell the issue.
The Fresno Madera Continuum Of Care’s preliminary data for its 2025 Point In Time Count show a 3% increase in homelessness in the region, and a 10% increase in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Fresno County’s deputy administrative officer Amina Flores-Becker told Fresnoland in an emailed statement that the county expects HUD’s published report to reflect the preliminary data. She added that the county anticipated an increase to be shown in the most recent count.
Local governments are required to conduct a Point In Time Count — a routine headcount of a region’s homeless population, in order to be eligible for federal funding. The counts typically occur on a night in the last 10 days of January, and are conducted by a group of volunteers under the guidance of their local agency.
Though the count is considered the best-available data on homelessness, some experts have argued in the past that the practice is imperfect.
Fresno and Madera leaders conducted their count on Jan. 28, and had more than 300 volunteers to help them comb through the region for homeless residents.
The preliminary results are especially important this year, since the last region-wide homeless count was in 2023, before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling ushered in a new era of anti-camping legislation as a response to homelessness and unhoused encampments.
Their 2023 count showed a continued increase in homelessness for the region since 2015, growing 7% since 2022, and a jump of 15% during the pandemic, from 2020-2022.
However, that year, the City of Fresno showed a decline in unsheltered homelessness from 2022 to 2023 – a lone improvement among the rest of the region.
Laura Moreno, chair of the Fresno Madera Continuum Of Care told Fresnoland in an emailed response that she doesn’t expect the certified results to differ from the current data, “but we cannot be certain until HUD approves it as data analysis is ongoing and subject to change.”
Continuums of Care across the country are expected to file results in June, and HUD is expected to publish certified data sometime soon after.
Fresno has increased their homeless shelters to over 800 beds, but even they’ve acknowledged that’s not enough.
Fresno city leaders were not available for comment as of Monday morning.
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