Notable Shifts in 2025
The Point In Time count results are a snapshot of one night and may reflect short-term fluctuations rather than year-round trends.
Displacement from Fires
The sheltered count included 12 people who reported they were directly impacted by the Eaton Fire.
Rise in Unsheltered Homelessness
342 people were unsheltered in 2025, a 7% increase from 321 in 2024, an increase of 21 people.
Regional Mobility
The number of unsheltered residents previously housed in the surrounding San Gabriel Valley increased by 21 people in 2025.
POINT IN TIME COUNT OVERVIEW.
The Point In Time Count is an annual effort to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena on a single night. Conducted in alignment with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, the count provides critical data to inform local strategies and secure funding for homeless services.
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In 2025, the Point In Time Count was conducted on the night of February 19 and the morning of February 20, following a one-month postponement due to the Eaton Fire.
METHODOLOGY.
The 2025 Point In Time Count measured how many people met the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homelessness on a single night, meaning they lacked a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including those living in shelters, vehicles, encampments, or fleeing domestic violence with nowhere else to go. The count consisted of three main components: the unsheltered count, a supplemental youth count, and the sheltered count. Together, these efforts provided a comprehensive snapshot of homelessness in Pasadena on a single night.
Unsheltered Count
The 2025 Unsheltered Count was conducted across 29 zones throughout Pasadena, each covered by a team of trained volunteers. Teams of professional street outreach workers were assigned to zones known to be more densely populated by people experiencing homelessness. The Pasadena Police Department’s HOPE and Park Safety teams canvassed additional areas such as freeway embankments, natural areas, and parks to ensure full coverage of the City’s entire geography.
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​Led by the City of Pasadena’s Department of Housing and Homeless Count Coordinators Dan Davidson and Erika Faye Gottfredson, with survey design support from CityWise, the count involved over 160 volunteers working in teams of 4–5. Each team received a map and hotspot list and canvassed their zone during late evening and early morning shifts.
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Volunteers used a GIS-enabled mobile survey tool developed by the City’s Department of Information Technology, which supported real-time geolocation and built-in error logic.
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Surveys were completed whenever possible, but people who declined, were asleep, or could not be approached safely were recorded through “observation-only” surveys. When full surveys were unavailable, Pasadena used a HUD-approved extrapolation method, applying demographic proportions from complete surveys to the overall unsheltered count. Duplicate entries were flagged using a combination of initials, age, race, gender, and ethnicity, and confirmed with timestamp and location data.
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As part of the effort, Vaccine Strike Teams were deployed throughout the Unsheltered Count. Led by the Pasadena Public Health Department’s Pasadena Outreach Response Team (PORT) and Huntington Hospital nursing staff, these teams provided field-based flu, COVID-19, and hepatitis A vaccines, along with naloxone overdose reversal kits.​
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Youth Count
Pasadena conducted a supplemental youth count which focused on unaccompanied and parenting youth ages 18 to 24. This targeted effort aligned with HUD guidance and national best practices to improve the identification of youth experiencing homelessness.​
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The 2025 Youth Count took place on February 19 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., just prior to the citywide unsheltered count. Volunteer teams comprised of trained youth enumerators, many with lived experience of homelessness, and staff from youth-serving agencies followed pre-determined survey routes informed by local service providers and hotspot mapping​The youth count used the same GIS-enabled survey tool as the main unsheltered count. To ensure accuracy, data was deduplicated against the unsheltered count using unique identifiers and matching characteristics such as age, initials, gender, and survey location.
Sheltered Count
Data for the sheltered count was drawn from people temporarily housed in emergency shelters, including those in motels paid for by local agencies, and transitional housing on the night of the count. This included the City’s Bad Weather Shelter which is always open on the night of the count for data consistency. Service providers submitted data through Pasadena’s secure homeless services database. The Pasadena-based domestic violence shelter used a comparable system to protect client confidentiality while ensuring inclusion.
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​Service providers confirmed all reported data accurately reflected occupancy on the night of the count. Records were reviewed and validated to ensure they met HUD eligibility criteria. CityWise supported the City of Pasadena in verifying and standardizing these records for inclusion in the final dataset.
Data Analysis
CityWise conducted the data analysis for the 2025 Point In Time Count, partnering with the City of Pasadena to clean, validate, and interpret the collected data. This included reviewing location data, identifying and resolving potential duplicates, and applying HUD methodology to develop population estimates and trend comparisons.
LIMITATIONS OF RESULTS.
The Homeless Count provides a "snapshot in time" to quantify the size of the homeless population at a specific point during the year. While it is useful for tracking trends over time, the Annual Count is used to assess, understand, and address the needs of individuals without safe and stable housing. While the methodology employed for the count is the most comprehensive approach available, no methodology allows for a 100% accurate estimate of all people experiencing homelessness. Regardless of how successful outreach efforts are, an undercount of people experiencing homelessness is possible. This is especially true with hard-to-reach subpopulations such as unsheltered families and unaccompanied youth.
Acknowledgments
The Pasadena Continuum of Care (CoC), led by the Department of Housing, would like to thank all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of the 2025 Point In Time Count. The participation of many stakeholders, including community members, professional outreach workers, partner agencies, faith-based organizations, local nonprofits, and City Departments including IT, Public Health, Fire, Police, and Library, is essential for gathering meaningful data. This collaborative effort enhances our comprehension of homelessness in the City and facilitates the implementation of effective solutions.