STOCKTON, CA – The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors recently approved a major step forward in addressing unsheltered homelessness by launching a comprehensive evaluation of emergency shelter services across the County. This initiative reinforces the Board’s strong commitment to transparency, result-driven investments, and ensuring every public dollar contributes to meaningful progress.
The approved project will assess how effectively local shelter programs are helping individuals exit homelessness and transition into permanent housing. It will provide the Board with the data necessary to make strategic decisions, improve service delivery, and hold providers accountable for outcomes.
“This Board is united in our belief that compassion must be matched with accountability,” said Board Chair Paul Canepa. “We are facing a homelessness crisis that continues to grow, and it is not enough to simply spend money—we must ensure those dollars are changing lives. This evaluation is about demanding results and being honest about what’s working and what’s not.”
The initiative is part of the County’s broader Strategic Priorities for Fiscal Years 2025-2028, which emphasize a holistic approach to homelessness response. The evaluation will explore the role of emergency shelters in the context of the community’s entire system of care to prevent and end homelessness, including understanding the flow into and out of shelter.
“We have to treat homelessness as a system-wide issue that requires system-wide solutions,” added District One Supervisor Mario Gardea. “This project is about identifying which strategies truly help people achieve stability, and giving the Board the tools to make smart, data-informed decisions going forward.”
The evaluation will include internal departments and an independent consultant partnering to evaluate local shelter capacity, operations, costs, and outcomes, using both numerical data and personal insights. It will conclude with an implementation and outcome report and performance scorecard, equipping the County with a framework for evaluating future homelessness strategies.
This effort is fully funded within the County Administrator’s Office budget and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. It builds on recent investments that totaled nearly $61 million in homelessness-related services in Fiscal Year 2023-2024, underscoring the need to ensure that every dollar is aligned with clear, measurable results.
As rising numbers in the Point-in-Time Count show the growing urgency of the crisis, San Joaquin County is stepping forward with a strategic, clear-eyed approach—one that embraces innovation, holds partners accountable, and remains deeply committed to serving the most vulnerable members of the community.
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