Kern County leaders say homelessness numbers are holding relatively steady even as the latest Point-in-Time Count shows a slight increase. County officials presented the annual Homeless and Housing Report to supervisors, highlig hting new housing units, expanded services, and ongoing concerns about future funding.Despite the slight increase in homelessness, county officials are optimistic pointing to expanded outreach, housing placements, and support programs helping more people transition out of homelessness.Stacy Kuwahara is the Assistant County Administrator, and he says, One of the things we talk about a lot is the drive on how we define our goals for homelessness. We aim to reduce the inflow, provide high-quality services to those experiencing homelessness, and increase our outflow. And I think we are making a lot of good progress in increasing our outflow from people of homelessness into housing, but at the same time, the inflow into homelessness isn't getting smaller.The Bakersfield Regional Homeless Collaborative says it takes a collaborative approach to confront the issues that contribute to being on the street.Brigiett Guzman is the Homeless and Housing Coordinator for Kern County, and she says, "Those are going to be the programs that address substance abuse, that address mental health barriers, that address employment barriers and other conditions related to homelessness in a holistic approach.Bakersfield Police say their efforts arent always about enforcement. Downtown Impact Team officers often connect unhoused individuals with shelters, outreach teams, and local services. But some return to familiar areas repeatedly. Officer Curtis Kniffen is on the BPD Downtown Impact Team, and he says, There are some places in town where, for whatever reason, I think just because of human nature and being comfortable with where they are at, some people return every day to the same place we tell them to leave. However, for the most part, they usually leave without any issues, and they will be respectful. They're here in the same place camping or hanging out for years on end, so I think it's them just being comfortable with their surroundings.County leaders warn funding is a growing concern. Federal pandemic-era dollars that expanded homelessness programs are running out, including ARPA funds set to expire on December 31st. Right now, our homeless allocations are not sustained on going state funded programs; they are one-time monies, so there's a lot of vaulrlbility will we continue to have the same amount? Will we continue to have these dollars? we dont want to see any of our programs end. and whiles these monies are not certain in the future, it makes it a little bit more challenging to plan in the long term.Bakersfield Regional Homeless Collaborative PIT Count 2026Bakersfield Regional Homeless Collaborative website Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less