Annual count finds fewer homeless people in county

The number of homeless people in San Diego County dropped by 6 percent from the previous year, according to the 2018 Point-in-Time Count.

Conducted every year by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the count this past January showed that 8,576 men, women and children were living on the street or in shelters, compared to the 9,116 counted in 2017. The results, announced at a news conference May 17, are used to apply for federal funds to help local homeless people and to find solutions on how to best serve those most vulnerable in our community.

Of the 8,576 homeless people in the region, 4...