City leaders are touting its Wellness Center for a decrease in Victorville’s homeless population, with the numbers revealed in the recent Point in Time Count survey.
The city cited the San Bernardino County-driven survey, which showed the number of unsheltered homeless individuals in Victorville decreased 68% in the past two years, and overall homelessness is down 28%.
Victorville’s overall homeless count is now the lowest it’s been in six years, according to the city, which had the second-highest homeless count in the county, but now ranks third behind San Bernardino and Fontana.
Wellness Center credited
“The steep decline in Victorville’s homelessness is a direct result of our City’s strategy prioritizing transitional housing, healthcare, and street outreach through our Victorville Wellness Center that opened in December 2023,” Mayor Liz Becerra said in a written statement. “We are gratified to see our Wellness Center be so impactful in such a short time.”
The county’s 2026 Point in Time Count shows that Victorville is the only High Desert city whose homeless count decreased since last year.
Homeless decline
Victorville’s unsheltered homeless count – those living on the street or other uninhabitable locations – is now 104 in 2026, down from 141 in 2025 and 326 in 2024.
The city’s overall homeless count, which includes the unsheltered in addition to those living in shelters, is now 441 in 2026, down from 448 in 2025 and 611 in 2024.
City leaders explained that the unsheltered count is significant because it represents the most visible and vulnerable state of homelessness, while those in shelters are being moved from crisis and street homelessness into safer environments where long-term housing outcomes become increasingly achievable.
“Having our unsheltered homeless count decline so significantly since opening our Wellness Center shows that our strategy is working and it’s been possible through the tremendous effort of our City Staff, community collaborators, and our Wellness Center operator, Symba,” City Manager Keith Metzler said. “We are committed to continuing the hard work to reduce homelessness in Victorville even further for the benefit of our community.”
Symba is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides recuperative care, primary care services, case management, substance use disorder assistance, behavioral health support, and connections to housing and supportive services for both insured and uninsured individuals, the organization stated.
State-funded center
Victorville’s Wellness Center is a low-barrier, non-congregate interim housing facility developed by city staff primarily using a $28 million HomeKey grant from the state of California.
In addition to providing interim housing, the 170-bed campus offers on-site medical and supportive services designed to help individuals and families stabilize and transition toward permanent housing.
The Wellness Center also accommodates pets, helping remove common barriers that often prevent individuals from accepting shelter and supportive care, city leaders said.
Measure P benefits
Additionally, the city used revenue from Measure P, the one-cent sales tax approved by Victorville voters in 2020, to fund a Homeless Engagement Team that canvasses the Victorville community, engages with the unhoused, and connects them to helpful resources like the Wellness Center.
The Wellness Center team is supported by Victorville Animal Care and Control Officers, who coordinate the entry of animals to the center.
The center is further supported by county partners and local nonprofit organizations that provide critical assistance with case management, housing navigation, diversion services, family reunification, placement into appropriate levels of care, and ultimately helping clients secure permanent housing.
As of May 7, 265 clients have graduated from the Wellness Center to permanent housing in just two-and-a-half years of operation, the city stated.
In December 2025, Teresa Massie rang a bell at the Wellness Center, signifying her graduation from homelessness to permanent housing. She is the center’s 200th graduate, the Daily Press reported.
Additional information about the city of Victorville’s homelessness solutions strategy and its Wellness Center is available online at VictorvilleCA.gov/HomelessnessSolutions.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: City of Victorville touts Wellness Center for homeless decrease
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
