DAVIS, Calif. — The number of people experiencing homelessness in Davis increased nearly 20 percent over the past two years, according to Yolo County’s 2026 Point-in-Time Count released this week, highlighting the continuing strain on local housing, shelter and behavioral health systems even as countywide numbers showed a slight decline.
The report, released by the Yolo County Homeless and Poverty Action Coalition in collaboration with Yolo County and local service providers, identified 912 people experiencing homelessness across the county on Jan. 27, 2026, compared to 942 counted in 2024. Of those counted this year, 597 people were unsheltered and 315 were living in shelters or transitional housing.
In Davis specifically, the count rose from 162 people in 2024 to 194 in 2026, an increase of 19.8 percent.
The report found that 141 people in Davis were unsheltered while 53 were sheltered. That marked a 15 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness and a 36 percent increase in sheltered homelessness since the previous count.
Countywide, West Sacramento recorded the largest number of people experiencing homelessness at 358, followed by Woodland with 320 and Davis with 194. Winters and surrounding rural areas accounted for 40 people experiencing homelessness.
The Point-in-Time Count, commonly known as the PIT Count, is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and serves as a one-night snapshot of sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. The count is conducted every two years and is used to guide funding decisions, evaluate housing and outreach programs and identify service gaps.
The report cautioned that the numbers likely understate the true scale of homelessness because the count only captures people identified on a single winter night.
“It is important to acknowledge that while the PIT Count is only a one day snapshot of the state of homelessness in Yolo County, these metrics reveal that homelessness here in Yolo County is both widespread and highly concentrated among single adults, especially unsheltered adults age 25–54,” the report stated.
The report further noted that many individuals experiencing homelessness reported deep local roots in Yolo County, challenging common assumptions that homeless residents are largely coming from elsewhere for services.
“Many unsheltered people report growing up in Yolo County, having family here (381 or 64% of the total counted), or moving from nearby Sacramento or other California communities, which underscores local and regional housing market pressures rather than people ‘coming here for services,’” the report stated.
The countywide data also revealed extensive overlap between homelessness and chronic health, mental health and economic challenges. According to the report, 592 people — nearly 65 percent of the county’s homeless population — met the federal definition of chronically homeless.
The report identified 256 people experiencing serious mental illness, 306 with substance use disorders and 138 with physical illnesses or disabilities. In addition, 221 individuals reported histories of domestic violence.
Among the county’s homeless population, adults between ages 25 and 54 represented the overwhelming majority of unsheltered residents. The report also found that most people counted were living outdoors, in encampments, vehicles or other locations not intended for habitation.
According to the sleeping locations breakdown, 409 people countywide were living outside, while another 68 were staying in cars, campers or RVs without hookups.
In Davis, 71 people were reported sleeping outside and another 14 were staying in vehicles. The report also identified 10 people staying outside at someone else’s home and 40 people whose sleeping location was classified as unknown.
The report linked rising homelessness to broader structural issues including high housing costs, eviction, domestic violence, criminal legal involvement and insufficient behavioral health support systems.
“High rates of eviction, criminal convictions, histories of foster care, domestic violence (221 or 24% of the total counted), and disabling conditions point to structural factors like inadequate affordable housing, tenant protections, and availability/funding of services connected to behavioral health and re-entry support as major contributors to homelessness,” the report stated.
Although countywide numbers declined slightly since 2024, the report emphasized that the reduction should be interpreted cautiously because weather conditions may have temporarily pushed people indoors or into less visible locations on the night of the count.
“We want the community to understand that the decreases seen in Woodland and in the overall county totals compared to 2024 do not necessarily mean homelessness has ‘gone away’ or that fewer people needed help,” the report stated.
The report noted that the 2026 count occurred during storm-driven weather conditions that may have reduced visibility of some unsheltered residents.
“It’s important to consider factors like the 2026 count took place during a period of storm driven weather, and some people who are usually visible outdoors may have found temporary places to stay,” the report stated.
At the same time, the report showed that homelessness in Yolo County has increased substantially over the longer term. Countywide homelessness rose from 459 people in 2017 to 746 in 2022 before reaching 912 in 2026.
The report concluded that current housing and behavioral health interventions have not kept pace with the scale of need.
“The most significant countywide challenge is that overall homelessness remains extremely high and has increased sharply since 2017, driven largely by unsheltered homelessness,” the report stated.
The report called for expanded permanent supportive housing, increased low-barrier shelter capacity, stronger homelessness prevention efforts and improved coordination among housing, health care, child welfare and criminal legal systems.
It also emphasized the importance of using homelessness data to secure federal and state funding for affordable housing, behavioral health services and outreach programs.
“Most importantly, we want people to know that a PIT Count is a starting point for action, not the end of the story,” the report stated.
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“Countywide, West Sacramento recorded the largest number of people experiencing homelessness at 358, followed by Woodland with 320 and Davis with 194.”
Hmm. West Sacramento and Woodland are smaller and cheaper than Davis, but have significantly more homeless people. This does not lend itself well to the theory that housing prices are causing homelessness.
I suspect that Atherton (with its $8 million dollar average housing price) has fewer homeless people per capita than almost any locale with “cheap” housing prices – such as Sacramento.
This would seem to indicate that high housing prices reduce homelessness, per the type of evidence and logic presented in this article.
“Hmm. West Sacramento and Woodland are smaller and cheaper than Davis, but have significantly more homeless people. This does not lend itself well to the theory that housing prices are causing homelessness.”
That’s because you’re only looking at one datapoint (as opposed to a more robust interaction between income, demographics and housing supply) which is not the proper way to evaluate data
I’ve been told that everyone in Woodland, for example, works at UCD. So differences in income can’t be the problem. :-)
And certainly, West Sacramento is very close to a major employment center (Sacramento itself). Have the residents of West Sacramento been made aware of UCD’s Aggie Square in Sacramento for example? I’ve heard a lot of great things about it, on the Vanguard.
But again, the claim from the article itself is that high housing prices are causing homelessness. And yet, the data doesn’t seem to support that claim.
As far as income is concerned, what percentage of the local bums have jobs in ANY locale? What has their work history (or other source of income) been for the previous decades of their lives?
(I say “bums” in a loving/kidding manner, of course. Hobos seems to be a friendlier word, though.)
Have you considered looking at other data points, such as mental illness, convictions, substance abuse, etc.? Or the availability of local services? (I suspect that Atherton also doesn’t have a homeless day care center, for example.)
The PIT is a government study, mandated by the federal government, and in my view flawed, but the best we have right now.
“It also emphasized the importance of using homelessness data to secure federal and state funding for affordable housing, behavioral health services and outreach programs.”
UM HUH.
Given the high margin of error, you can’t say if so-called homelessness has gone up or down, only what the count found. And given the above quote, as has been pointed out numerous times, higher counts lead to more dollars. Also, as for ‘they are from here’ claim, as I’ve pointed out numerous times, there are reports of counters telling people to claim they are from the area to help the stats. How widespread? No idea. As that would take a survey of fraud. Just pointing out, beware the homelessness industrial complex. And anecdotal also pointed out numerous times, my oft-sleeping-outdoors friend in Davis who is native said the natives resent the huge influx of out-of-towners who the native so-called homeless find to be a problem for them. Same old responses, but you keep telling the same old story, year after year, so you’ll keep getting the same responses from me.