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HOMELESS IN MANTECA AT 235; UP 8% IN 2 YEARS
Almost 100 are accessing city’s secured emergency homeless services with many camping their overnight
homeless
There are less illegal homeless encampments in Manteca such as this one shown in 2019 near the Louise Avenue overpass.

There are 238 homeless in Manteca.

That’s the unofficial tally from the Jan. 29 point in time count conducted of the homeless in the city.

It represents an increase of 19 individuals — or 8 percent — over the previous count in January of 2022 that tallied 219 homeless.

The higher count, while up from 2022, was expected.

That’s because this time around Manteca city personnel along with volunteers who work day-in and day-out with the homeless had a well-documented list of locations where they knew homeless were either camping or hanging out.

 The official tally, when released, will include a wealth of information on the homeless.

It will include:

*Where they went homeless (in the 2022 survey the majority ended up on the streets while living in Manteca.)

*What caused them to become homeless.

*What is preventing them from getting off the street.

*What services do they need to access to help them get off the street.

*Demographics such as age and gender.

*Health issues they may have.

That data will be used to further dial in city efforts to help get the homeless off the streets,

The count also helps the city secure grants, the bulk of which are federal, to fund day-to-day services involving the homeless.

So far, the city has been successful at securing such grants to cover expenses such as operating the emergency services offered to the homeless at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

That means the city’s general fund that covers day-to-day municipal services such as police, fire, park upkeep, street maintenance and such is not being adversely impacted.

There are now upwards of 100 homeless accessing the secured site at 555 Industrial Park Drive on a daily basis.

Many of them camp overnight at the location where dorms are being prepared for occupancy.

That means unlike in 2022 when there were 219 homeless and all were living on  the street, a large percentage of the homeless today are sleeping at the city’s site.

The 2022 count represented a 41 percent reduction in homeless from the annual point of time count that was conducted in 2019. The count went from 218 in 2019 down to 129 in 2022.

Manteca had 88 homeless in 2017. That number increased by 148 percent to 218 in  2019. Back in 2011, the first time a count was taken, Manteca had 23 homeless.

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com