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Dramatically bucking a national trend reflecting a 12% increase in homelessness, Santa Cruz County counted its smallest estimated unhoused population to date during its annual point-in-time count early this year.
Between February 2022 and 2023, however, homelessness declined substantially to 1,804 people, the county's lowest population recorded in more than two decades.
Coming out of a punishing winter and the end of the coronavirus pandemic's state of emergency, Santa Cruz County's homeless population has remained highly visible and yet significantly dwindled, according to results of a recent study.