Riverside Reports Success in Curbing Homelessness Growth Through Prevention Programs
City officials credit collaboration with county partners and targeted prevention efforts for stabilizing homeless population, achieving "functional zero" for youth homelessness.
Mulberry Village, a model of supportive housing in Downtown—providing safety, dignity, and a fresh start for formerly unhoused residents. (Courtesy of the City of Riverside)
In recent years, Riverside has reached "functional zero" for youth homelessness. Reaching zero means organizations and the city has provided services and resources to the needs of all the young people experiencing homelessness within the age group.
Point in Time Count, which records the number of individuals dealing with homelessness on a given day around Riverside County, showed 473 homeless people were in shelters in 2024. The count was an improvement from the last couple of years.
The city of Riverside has largely stopped the growth of homelessness in the city through prevention programs and collaboration with organizations around the city, according to city officials.
"Prevention is your number one priority in confronting [the homelessness] crisis," said Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson. "...And intention is being intentional about the population that you are addressing and bringing them their resources they specifically need in their demographic."
Mayor Lock Dawson contributes the success of the city outreach to the homeless population to the collaboration with organizations from around the county.
"With our youth homelessness, we worked with 18 different partners within the county and we started doing what we called weekly case conferencing calls so we would get all the partners together," said Lock Dawson.
The data shows the biggest population dealing with homelessness are seniors over the age of 55. Mayor Lock Dawson hopes to use the same approach the city used to reach the youth and lower the count of homeless people seeking help with its +55 demographic.
The data recorded by Point in Time Count shows that 21% of the unsheltered homeless individuals had been homeless for less than a year. The primary reasons for falling into homelessness were a loss of a job, low income and a disturbance in their living situation.
"No single approach is going to reduce homelessness," said Mayor Pro Tem Sean Mill. "Our city is a model for other Riverside County to follow in terms of attacking the problem from multiple angles, regardless of whether a person is in danger of slipping into homelessness for the first time or has been homeless for an extended period."
"It's fiscally responsible [to prevent homelessness]," said Mayor Lock Dawson. "...we're going to spend an infinitely larger amount of money trying to get them back into a house."
City officials recommend anyone dealing with an economic crisis to seek help with the Family Research Center at the Riverside Unified School District. The center operates throughout the year, even during non-school days.
People can also contact the city's Housing and Human services, who can help with providing resources to help with any kind of housing problems. If people are having trouble finding a job, people can reach out to the county's Workforce Development.
Anthony was born and raised in Pomona. After a decade in education, he now writes for Southern California News Group, LA Times, and LA Taco. He recently moved to Riverside with his wife Evelyn.
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