San Francisco homelessness jumps despite spending millions to fight it

SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- California is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fight homelessness, but the problem only seems to be getting worse.

Several Bay Area cities and counties released new data on Thursday.

Mayor London N. Breed announced a new $5 million investment in homelessness prevention to address the rise of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

The $5 million homelessness prevention investment will be included in this year's upcoming budget. It will fund a series of targeted investments to help keep people from becoming homeless and help newly homeless individuals quickly exit homelessness. These interventions include relocation programs like Homeward Bound, family reunification, mediation, move-in assistance and flexible grants to address issues related to housing and employment.

San Francisco saw a 17% jump in homelessness over the last two years.

Santa Clara County saw a 31% increase, while Alameda County saw a 43% increase since 2017.

Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties all recorded double-digit percent increases this year.