Homelessness has increased slightly in Santa Barbara County. That's according to just-released preliminary results of a new survey in the county.
It shows 1,962 people are homeless, up from 1,897 in 2020. The statistics showed that 595 people, who are homeless, are in shelters. That's down from the 674 who were in shelters in 2020.
Santa Barbara has the largest number of homeless, with 822, followed by 457 in Santa Maria and 290 in Lompoc.
More than 400 volunteers helped with what's known as the Point In Time Survey, in teams fanning across 89 areas in the county February 23.
