Orange County’s unhoused population count begins Tuesday

Orange County’s biennial count of people experiencing homelessness starts on Tuesday.

Over the course of three days, volunteers will fan out across the county to determine how many people are experiencing homelessness so officials can decide what services are needed and keep track of changing demographics and trends.

Around 17,000 people in Orange County lost their housing and fell into homelessness in 2025, according to data from United to End Homelessness, a coalition of business, civic and political leaders.

The last point in time count in Orange County saw a spike of around 28% in the number of unhoused people, with around 7,300 people experiencing homelessness. Results for the point in time count usually come out in May.

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This year’s count will be the first since the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling in 2024 which made it illegal for unhoused people to camp on public properties even if they don’t have a place to sleep. Since then, Orange County cities like Newport Beach, Anaheim and Fullerton have ramped up anti-camping laws by making it illegal for people to lie down on park benches, sleep on sidewalks or even lay your bag down on the sidewalk. Late last year, the county also followed suit.

The count also comes as Orange County grapples with potential federal funding cuts and increased costs for homelessness programs.

If the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cuts Continuum of Care funds, around 1,400 households will not have a home, Nishtha Mohendra, chief program officer for Families Forward, said at United to End Homelessness’ recent 2026 State of Homelessness.

“That would mean that we run the risk of having an even higher two-digit increased literal homelessness in our community. That has the ripple effect of everything that impacts our system,” she said.

How the count works

Volunteers, including service providers and law enforcement, will fan out from six locations over three days in the morning and evening. Tuesday is dedicated to central cities, including Santa Ana and Fountain Valley, Wednesday for the northern region and Thursday for the southern cities.

It’s still not too late to volunteer, with the county looking for people to take on different roles, including for set up and clean up. To learn more about how to get involved, click here.