Following is the June 2021 report from the Contra Costa Coordinated Outreach, Referral, Engagement (CORE) Program. It provides a good profile of Richmond’s homeless population.

Of the 140 unduplicated contacts, 43% had substance abuse disorders, 38% had chronic health conditions, 19% had developmental issues, 47% had mental health problems, and 32% had physical issues. Obviously, some had more than one challenging condition. What all these have in common is that they are health issues, not just homeless issues..

We need more help from Contra Costa County to deal with these health issues that cause and prolong homelessness. Note that of the 140, only 10 received “healthcare coordination.”

Contra Costa Health Services is the largest department of County government, employing more than 4,250 individuals. Only 6% of the CCHS budget is from the County's general fund. The remaining 94% is supported by federal and state funding programs, such as Medi-Cal and Medicare as well as program grants and fees. The total county health budget is hard to figure out because it is dispersed over many funding categories, but it is at least $700 million and probably over $1 billion of the $4.06 billion FY 2021-2011 budget.