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Chapter 3: Homeless Population and Current Service Capacity Homeless people are found in all parts of the county, urban, suburban, or rural. As detailed below, the homeless population in all regions includes the one-time homeless and chronically homeless; single adults and families with children; unaccompanied youth and seniors on fixed - incomes; veterans and domestic violence victims; and those with problems of physical health, mental health, alcohol and drugs, and/or HIV/AIDS. I. The Homeless Population Estimated Numbers of Homeless Peon According to the federal definition of a homeless individual, a homeless person is one who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate residence. In addition, the definition includes those who live in supervised nighttime emergency and transitional residential facilities. The definition does not take into account those homeless people who live doubled up with friends or family, or those homeless individuals who are in hospitals or jails, waiting to be released onto the streets without shelter. It is very difficult to achieve a precise estimate of the number of homeless people in Alameda County. This is due to the transient nature of the homeless population and the difficulty of identifying all locations where homeless people find shelter. Methods for - estimating the homeless population have been subject to debate for many years. Recently, at the national level, the Interagency Council for the Homeless stated in its report, "Priority Home", (1994), that previous counts may have grossly underestimated - the number of people affected by homelessness in the past decade. An estimate that is cited in the Alameda County Comprehensive Housing Affordability - Strategy (CHAS) report, (1993), and is often supported by service providers in Alameda County, is that approximately 9,000 people are homeless at any given time. The length of time people remain homeless, varies greatly and the homeless population - over a year does not remain the same. In data collected by the Emergency Services Network of Alameda County, 40 percent had been homeless for less than a month, 30 percent had been homeless between one and six months, and 30 percent had been homeless from seven months or more up to more than three years. Researchers in other cities have found that over a year the number of people who will experience an episode of homelessness is roughly three times a single point in time number. Thus, an annual estimate based on a point in time estimate of 9,000 would indicate that approximately 27,000 people are homeless during a year in Alameda County. Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 - 12