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Santa Clarita Homeless Population Grows 60 Percent In 2019 Count

The number of homeless people living in Santa Clarita has grown by 100 in the last year, according to officials.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) reported their findings on 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. According to this count, the homeless population of Santa Clarita is 256 people.

This is about a 60 percent increase from last year’s count at 156 homeless people. While this is an increase from the previous year, it is still not as high as the 2017 count, reigning in at 279 homeless people living in Santa Clarita.

“This last year has been extremely pivotal in the resources and attention directed toward helping those who are experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Mayor Marsha McLean. “All the pieces are falling into place, to not only provide the resources and services necessary but also to truly understand the scope of the issue.”

This news comes after Bridge to Home, a center for providing services to the homeless, is now open year round.

See related: Bridge To Home Seeks Donations After Staying Open Year-Round For First Time In 22 Years

“Bridge to Home is making major strides toward a permanent, year-round facility, but obstacles remain,” said Executive Director Michael Foley. “Finding a way to do a more accurate homeless count is paramount to knowing what services are needed. Improvements to the counting procedure are being developed by the Community Task Force on Homelessness, in coordination with a team from UCLA.”

City officials claim this number will allow the Santa Clarita City Council and the Community Task Force on Homelessness to more accurately and precisely address the homelessness issue.

“In the last year, the City has received $375,000 in Measure H funding from the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, to implement plans and programs to combat and prevent homelessness,” said Carrie Lujan, Communications Division Manager for the City of Santa Clarita.

See related: Santa Clarita Awarded $375K Measure H Grant For Homeless Plan Implementation
For more information about the city’s approach to homelessness, please visit their official site here. Additional information about Bridge to Home, you may also visit their site here.


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Santa Clarita Homeless Population Grows 60 Percent In 2019 Count

10 comments

  1. This is what happens when you feed that stray dog., it keeps coming back for more .Our crime is up but we hear of reports that it is at its all time low.which is not true. 80% of our crime involves transients and most of them are out of towners Measure H is not working and it will never work. I would prefer we transfer those funds to helping our Vets or Elderly . So why are we supporting out of town junkies? it’s time to cut the accuses and send them on a train back to where ever they came from .

  2. Where do you base these ridiculous notions that 80 percent of crimes reported in our valley are perpetrated by “outsiders?’ I am so sick of home grown sunshine pumpers blaming ‘others’ for our own self-inflicted wounds. When you actually read crime reports undoubtedly, one notices a pattern of petty theft, shoplifting, burglary, DUI, domestic violence, aggravated assault, drug possession, fraud, etc.,These crimes are not committed by homeless transients or outsiders but by community members like your neighbors. Stop assessing blame and try coming up with real life solutions; putting people on a train is as smart as wasting money on a wall. Asinine and ineffectual don’t even come close. By the way, demonizing ‘others’ doesn’t solve any problems other than to further divide us.

    • Star P , I stated that 80 % were by transients and MOST were not from here not 80% weren’t from here . But I’ll go a step further by stating that those numbers were calculated by simple arithmetic . If our three news outlets The Signal, SCV News and KHTC report X amount of news articles and of that number 80% of those were crimes like petty theft,shop lifting , burglary,assault, drugs and identity theft and in those articles it was reported that the suspects either didn’t have a job, were homeless, warrants in other states and were living in the Santa Clara wash . Some of those suspects that did provide identification showed that they were from other states . Now I’m not sure what part of our valley you live on but I can without a doubt state that none of those crimes have been committed by my neighbors. My family and neighbors are either in Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Aerospace or practicing Law. Now since my family has lived out here since 1954 I can tell you that junkies and transients were handled a lot different . I’m tired of society taking the burden of picking those up that keep falling down due to poor life choices . One of those is our increase in drugs . You can shake your head at my comments or call me a home grown sunshine pumper but it has been documented that drugs and homelessness are linked. So my question to you is why would you want to waste tax payer dollars on drug addicts ? I’m not sure where you found in any of my comments to be demonizing since all I’m doing is commenting on issues that have been reported by our own News outlets and within those articles there were reports of our Vets and Elderly who are homelessness who I’d like to help. I would prefer we help those in real need and actual weed out the ones who are just looking for free handouts. Due to the tone of your comments I can only assume that you support the left and are unable to just sticking to the facts. Your judgment might possibly be blinded by thinking all the worlds problems can be solved by hugs.

  3. I’m seeing more and more homeless folks all over SCV now, yesterday one was on Newhall Avenue by the Starbucks walking up and down the street with a sign asking for money from people in their cars waiting for the light to change. More by Western Bagel too. They’re sleeping in the river bed by Railroad Avenue. Our community is becoming a haven for these homeless people.

  4. Let’s find middle ground then. If they’re American citizens, we do all that we can to get them on their feet (assuming that they are willing) and if they are illegally in our country anyway lets put them on that transport home. Deal?

  5. Having a homeless shelter in it’s self causing a problem, and enabling the individual, and not solving the problem. What’s the Root Cause of the homeless? Are they truly homeless, short time, possible waiting for an apartment to open up? Or are they transients from other cities? Mental illness is a large factor for homeless and very poor choices taken. You cannot cure mental health problems by giving permanent shelter. It’s clear the local government doesn’t know how to deal with this issue. There are options…. Bus them to another place that is set up to handle this …. San Francisco
    Is a good place to start, call them illegals, they will be well taken care of, better than US citizens in need. We all know this is true, I’m just saying what everyone is thinking. ….. We need new leadership here in Santa Clarita,. I should run for Mayor.

    • FYI, San Francisco puts their homeless on buses and sends them to Garbersville and Redway, up in the Redwoods. Of course not all of them are bused there but if you’ve ever gone through those towns the homeless will tell you that’s how they got there on a one way ticket compliments of SF. This is not a solution. I’d hate to see our public officials do the same here. Everyone cries NIMBY, yet they have to be somewhere. What do you propose to do, execute them like that nut job cop/pastor suggests should happen to LBGTQ folks?

      • How’d we go from conversations on fixing our problem the right way with our homeless to then executing them and LBGTQ? I for one would make it mandatory for all who seek shelter to be drug screened throughout their stay. If your on drugs while receiving free room and board then you are removed and replaced by someone who is in real need of shelter. Also since most of us believe nothing in life is free, then we should put those who are receiving shelter to work. These jobs could even be cleaning up our roads or concerts like the Boots and Brews. They left our beautiful park a disaster. Tax payer dollars are being wasted and as a tax payer I want something good coming out of my taxes. Like I’ve stated before we need to weed out the freeloaders and those who actual need help.

  6. Get out there and ask some of “THOSE” people why are they homeless. You ignorant judgemental people sit in your lady boy chairs assuming all the worst without even asking. I was one of THOSE people homeless and living in a tent with another adult and her 2 Children. I grew up here and I raised my 2 children here in Santa Clarita. When. I was raising my children I worked 2 and 3 jobs because my children’s fathers did not want to pay child support and I was a single mom raising 2 children alone with help with my parents baby sitting when they were young and I had to pay for a babysitter little help. I. Gave my children a safe home in a safe neighborhood because my 8 yr old son was mugged for 5.00 by bigger kids right by his home while playing. Imagine an 8 year old boy excited to have 5.00 because money had to go to everything necessary like a roof over their head food on their plate gas in the car so. I could go to work to pay the bills and put food in their mouth. I did everything for my kids to the best of my ability in including carrying my children to their home on the second floor when they were too tired to walk up the stairs on their own. After my kids were grown up the toll from the type of work I did and having to carry groceries and children up stairs my back had building degenerative disks in my lower back and neck and my insurance just took xrays and gave me pain pills and said I would be ok for many years. I lost my job because of my medication would make me forget short term memory and insecure people on the job helped me lose my job of 18 yrs. Thank God for Obama care because for a few years I had no insurance because my kids were adults now andI was not pregnant and no minor children so I didn’t qualify for insurance. I would up getting insurance through Obama care and got back surgery and neck surgery and I couldn’t work due to pain and being on pain pills prescribed to me. Eventually I lost my home and was forced to live in a tent I a campground after losing my home. That is when I discovered how many people were in the same situation as me. Many years of working hard and just could keep up with the

    • “Lady boys chairs”

      LOL! That’s perfect.

      It sure is a complicated issue. I totally get the frustration of some regarding the homeless coming from other areas. I would propose for some sort of prioritized service for those who can demonstrate a tie to the SCV community – e.g. born here, rented\owned property here, worked here, etc… so, at one time or another he/she or one’s family contributed to the community. I’m sure government agencies probably can’t legally provide such preferences but I would think some of the private homeless charities could.

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About David Melnarik

David Melnarik was born and raised in Santa Clarita, graduating from Hart Senior High School in 2014. David is currently a Video and News intern at KHTS with plans to complete his Associates Degree of Arts in filmmaking at College of the Canyons in Spring 2019.