San Bernardino has the highest rate of homeless in the Inland Empire, with 682 homeless people per 100,000 residents, more than triple the San Bernardino County average. Forty percent of San Bernardino County’s homeless residents live in San Bernardino, according to the January 2025 Point in Time Count. The count found 1,535 people were homeless in the city of San Bernardino, up 8% from 2024. (This year’s Point in Time count took place Jan. 22. Its results are expected in summer.) “We have to make sure we are serving this community by addressing the issues that are in the forefront, and homelessness is a big issue,” Mayor Helen Tran said during a recent city workshop focused on homelessness. The city’s plan to address homelessness was outlined during a special workshop meeting of the San Bernardino City Council on Jan. 15. The plan includes outreach teams, housing options of varying lengths and with a variety of support services, two new navigation centers intended to get homeless residents off the street quickly and connected to services, and efforts to expand affordable housing in San Bernardino, in connection with local nonprofits and other partners. “I feel optimistic,” Tran said afterward. “I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel, because we are leaning into addressing the issue, not running away from it.” But the numbers may not tell the whole story, said Cassandra Searcy, San Bernardino’s deputy director of housing and homelessness, at the meeting. “Experts will tell you that you should probably take your point in time count number and double it if not triple it,” Searcy said. In other words, there’s a lot of work to do. San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran, right, speaks with Shawnna Pauley, center, 57, and Rose Diehl, left, 47, from their tent along F Street in downtown San Bernardino during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Pauley, originally from the Imperial Valley, said she has been homeless since 1992. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Outreach “Outreach always comes first,” Homeless Solutions Manager Gabby Leon told the City Council. The teams, led by the Salvation Army’s Street Outreach Team, have connected with 4,434 homeless residents on San Bernardino’s streets since 2024, according to Leon. But “it can take anywhere from 17 to 40 attempts” to convince a homeless person to accept services, she said. As part of the outreach effort, San Bernardino offers free mobile hygiene services including a mobile shower and laundry program, run by Community Action Partnership. The San Bernardino Police Department also connects with the city’s homeless residents. Their specialized PEACE, or Proactive Enforcement and Community Engagement, and HOPE, Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement, teams proactively look for encampments and work with residents, businesses, property owners and those experiencing homelessness to try and get them the help they need, mixing policing and social services. Last year, the department’s PEACE team offered resources to 1,046 people, with about 564 people accepting services, according to the department. During the same period, more than 330 referrals were made to house homeless residents, more than 558,760 pounds of waste were removed from public spaces and the team responded to more than 1,390 reports of homeless encampments in the city. Dorothy Lewis, 73, sits in her wheelchair under an awning to a department store in San Bernardino as she speaks about being homeless for the last 2 months after being forced from her home by burglars during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Homeless 69 and older are eligible for immediate housing by the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Short-term housing The city has short-term housing programs available to help homeless residents off the streets. “You might recall that in 2022, 2023, we on average were aware of about 422 (available) shelter beds,” Searcy said. “I thought that was pretty good at the time.” As of 2025, that number jumped to 930 shelter beds across 12 programs and facilities. “And although we don’t have the same match of shelter beds as we do for our (total homeless population), it does show that the city’s closing the gap,” Searcy said. Other housing options include a voucher program at two local hotels. Between 2023 and 2025, about 1,500 vouchers were released, with about 2,000 people getting temporary hotel stays, according to Leon. “It is a lifeline,” she said. “It’s a place where people can actually go to job interviews or work again on their individual (rehabilitation) plans.” Other options include a 12-bed interim shelter run by San Bernardino-based addiction treatment services provider VARP and a rapid rehousing program intended to help those in shelters transition to permanent housing. “The city’s not trying to set anybody up for failure, so individuals connected to the city’s rapid rehousing program do have to have some level of income,” Searcy said. The program includes help with move-in costs, financial planning and other support services. Since 2024, 172 people have participated. San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran speaks with Shawnna Pauley, 57, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Pauley, originally from the Imperial Valley, said she has been homeless since 1992. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Navigation centers A pair of navigation centers, which will provide temporary shelter and food for homeless people with a low barrier to entry, are expected to open in San Bernardino this year. Navigation centers are intended to get homeless residents off the streets quickly and connect them to other support services in one location. The $35 million San Bernardino Community Wellness Center, operated by Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and funded by state Homekey funds, will offer 140 beds with more privacy than is offered in traditional shelters as well as an on-site medical clinic. It’s expected to open Feb. 23, with a 90% occupancy by the end of March. A second navigation center, known as the SB HOPE Campus, named after the school formerly located on the property, is expected to open for service by the end of the year, after a groundbreaking later this month. Unlike the Lutheran Social Services center, which will serve only men — homeless men outnumber homeless women in San Bernardino 2-to-1, according to Searcy — SB HOPE will be co-ed. The pet-friendly center will be operated by Helping Hearts California, which also operates the city of Riverside’s Hulen Place emergency shelter. Jonathan Robert, left, 42, who says he has been homeless for a couple years, speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Shawnna Pauley, 57, holds a sandwich and a cigarette as she speaks with volunteers during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Pauley, originally from the Imperial Valley, said she has been homeless since 1992. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran plays with Chico, a dog owned by David Breth, right, 60 from New Jersey, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) A homeless woman holds a lighter and aluminum foil containing heroin as she is interviewed during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) A homeless man sleeping in front of the entrance to Secombe Lake Recreation Area speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Jonathan Robert, left, 42, who says he has been homeless for a couple years, speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Jonathan Robert, left, 42, who says he has been homeless for a couple years, speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran speaks to a homeless man sleeping in the grass in front of Secombe Lake Recreation Area during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran, right front, speaks with Dorothy Lewis, 73, while sitting in her wheelchair under an awning to a department store in San Bernardino as she speaks about being homeless for the last 2 months after being forced from her home by burglars during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Homeless 69 and older are eligible for immediate housing by the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) A homeless man sleeping in front of the entrance to Secombe Lake Recreation Area speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) San Bernardino mayor Helen Tran, right, speaks with Shawnna Pauley, center, 57, and Rose Diehl, left, 47, from their tent along F Street in downtown San Bernardino during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Pauley, originally from the Imperial Valley, said she has been homeless since 1992. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) A homeless man, who asked not to be idenfided, bathes in warm water run off in a small stream running through Meadowbrook Park at sunrise during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 12Jonathan Robert, left, 42, who says he has been homeless for a couple years, speaks with Jesus Chuy Medina, right, with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, during the annual San Bernardino County Point in Time Count of homeless residents in San Bernardino on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Close to 200 volunteers took part in the city wide count which offered social services to those who wanted help to get off the streets (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Expand More affordable housing Related Articles Homeless advocates again blast Riverside’s rejection of $20.1 million housing grant Riverside unlikely to reconsider $20.1 million grant it rejected for homeless housing Southern California lawmaker wants to make it easier for churches and colleges to build affordable housing Planned San Bernardino homeless shelter faces shortfall of millions As 2026 homeless count nears, here’s what the 2025 Inland Empire count found And although drug addiction and mental illness play large roles in homelessness, in many cases, the high cost of housing has driven people onto the streets. “Expanding affordable housing is a key component to reducing homelessness,” Housing Division Manager Trina Perez told the City Council at their workshop. The city is currently working with developers and other groups on three affordable housing projects Alder Square is a 92 unit complex in the Arrowhead Grove affordable housing project at 575 E. Baseline Road. The city of San Bernardino and San Bernardino County each contributed $5 million to the project, which is being developed by Rancho Cucamonga-based affordable housing developer National CORE. It’s expected to open in summer 2027. Jamboree, another housing project, is actually multiple properties clustered around the intersection of Fifth Street and Meridian Avenue. The city has committed to $6.2 million in funding for the 106-unit project. The City Council approved the project in December. The U.S. Vets Housing Project is a proposed 30-unit low-income housing development to be located at 1351 North E St., developed by the U.S. Vets non-profit, which works to end homelessness among American military veterans. The city has conditionally committed $4.9 million to the project, which will also include on-site support services for residents. Construction has not yet begun. Getting help San Bernardino residents can report encampments either by using the GO SBCity smartphone app, or by calling Code Enforcement at 909-998-2000. People experiencing homelessness in San Bernardino can reach out directly to the city for help, either by emailing at [email protected] or by calling 909-936-3478. More on San Bernardino homelessness Why haven’t we solved homelessness in California? 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