City records reduction in homeless for third straight year

The results of San Bernardino County’s 2026 Homeless Point-in-Time-Count were released on Wednesday, April 29, and, for the third straight year, the results showed a reduction in the number of homeless individuals in the City of Redlands.

The total number of homeless individuals surveyed in the City during the Point-in-Time Count conducted in January 2026 was 134, down approximately 8 percent from the 2025 count. This follows reductions of 31 percent last year and 34 percent in 2024.

The reduction was driven largely by a decrease in the number of homeless individuals housed in temporary shelters, which fell nearly 36 percent. The number of unsheltered people – those living on the streets, in vehicles or tents, with no roof over their heads – rose from 104 to 107, an increase of less than 3 percent.

City Manager Charlie Duggan credits the consistent improvements to the intensive efforts the City has made over the past four years to provide shelter and services to the City’s homeless population.

“The City’s dedicated Homeless Solutions team works with individuals and local service providers daily to find both temporary shelter and permanent housing, employment services, medical and mental health treatment and counseling. All these services contribute not only to the well-being of our homeless population, but to the health and welfare of the community as a whole.”

In 2022, the City Council approved creation of the Homeless Solutions Office, hiring David Rabindranath as its Homeless Solutions Manager to coordinate resources and provide outreach to the homeless population. That same year, the city was awarded a $30 million Homekey grant from the State of California. The grant was used to convert a former motel into the Step Up in Redlands supportive housing facility.

Step Up in Redlands opened in January 2023 and was soon fully occupied. The facility continues to provide permanent housing and supportive services.

Over the past four years, the City of Redlands has received more than $12 million in grants, including state Encampment Resolution Fund, Prop. 47 and Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grants as well as $65,000 from the Kaiser Foundation.

Grant funds were immediately programmed to expand the City’s homeless outreach teams, provide shelter beds and rapid rehousing, employment training and assistance, treatment programs and to support partnerships with organizations such as the Salvation Army, Family Service Association, Goodwill, Redlands Chamber of Commerce and Youth Hope and other local partners.

The City’s efforts continue with collaboration and strategic planning with local agencies, including the San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) Team and the Central Valley Homeless Provider Network.

The homeless Point-In-Time-Count (PITC) is a one-day count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. The 2026 count was conducted on Jan. 22. Information from the PITC is used by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to allocate funding for homeless services to local jurisdictions.

More information regarding the 2026 San Bernardino County Homeless Point in Time Count is available online at https://sbchp.sbcounty.gov/community-projects/point-in-time-count/.