Every two years, the city and county of San Francisco conducts a Point-In-Time count by canvassing the county with a team of volunteers. Additionally, a team of young people who have lived experiences of homelessness conduct a supplemental count of youth under the age of 25. In the weeks following the street count, a survey was administered to 159 unsheltered and sheltered unaccompanied youth in order to understand their experiences.
The goals of conducting a Point-In-Time count, include measuring changes in numbers and characteristics of the homeless population in San Francisco, defining the extent of homelessness among homeless youth in San Francisco, and identifying the primary causes of homelessness among youth, as well as their main program needs.
This year’s count found 7,754 homeless individuals in San Francisco, with 1,073 of those being homeless youth. While the overall number of people counted decreased 3.5% from 2019 to 2022, the number of homeless youth decreased by 6% in the same time period.
The majority of homeless youth counted were transitional-age youth between 18 and 24 years old.
