City pushback leads to clarified homeless count for El Cajon

EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Regional Task Force on Homelessness in San Diego has revised the number of homeless people in El Cajon after city leadership publicly challenged the original numbers from this year’s Point-in-Time Count, an annual snapshot of individuals experiencing homelessness across San Diego County.

While the region saw a significant decrease, El Cajon was one of the only cities in the county that saw an uptick in homelessness when the results were released in May.

RTFH released a joint statement with the City of El Cajon on Tuesday which noted a change to the city’s homeless data.

“We all walked out of that meeting all on the same page. We know the numbers. We know how we came up with the numbers and now we really made a commitment to let's work together to bring the numbers down, " said Rolland Slade, Senior Pastor at Meridian Baptist Church and member of RTFH. 

A review was sparked after Mayor Bill Wells, who is running for reelection, criticized the original results of the 2025 Point-in-Time Count.

“I'm vindicated in the sense it seemed really odd to us that when they came out with the numbers our city was the only city with a significant increase," Wells said.

The task force noted that 24 homeless individuals included in the tally were in an area outside of El Cajon’s limits. The joint statement noted that "the census tracts used to calculate El Cajon’s homeless count include tract shared with unincorporated San Diego County."

While the methodology will not change going forward "to maintain consistency from year to year," the statement explained that "the census tract designation will change from “El Cajon” to “El Cajon (including unincorporated communities)" in order "to more accurately reflect the geographic area."

In addition, the review found "possibilities that some individuals may have been counted
more than once, particularly along Caltrans rights-of-way in El Cajon." The statement added that "while the extent of potential duplication cannot be precisely determined, both agencies have agreed that future counts can be better coordinated to minimize this risk and further improve data accuracy."

However, even with the adjustment, homelessness in El Cajon grew from 283 in 2024 to 320 this year. 

“They’re not counting everybody that is homeless," said Gena Aguilar, who is experiencing homelessness. She said she has a job and used to have an apartment, but recently found herself back on the streets.

Aguilar said she wasn’t counted back in January and is hopeful she'll get back into housing.

“There’s other individuals that have asked for vouchers. They said they don’t have any," Aguilar said.

The county voucher program Aguilar referred to is problematic for Wells. 

“Even though El Cajon only made up 3% of the county, we got 55% of the people that were in this voucher program and now because the voucher program is running out of money these people are going back to out on the streets," Wells said.

Wells added that the city will continue to work with its nonprofit partners on solutions, including the tiny homes project. 

He added that he believes the Point-in-Time Count is flawed. That same sentiment is shared by Tamera Kohler, CEO of RTFH who said in the joint statement, “we’ve said the Point-in-Time Count is an imperfect tool, but it is a vital one in helping us understand the scope of homelessness across our region. While it’s just one snapshot in time, the data informs how we plan, fund, and deliver services to those most in need."

Pastor Slade said he is happy for the collaboration with the city and believes there is room to explore new ways of connecting people with stable housing.

“Maybe we need to come up with a different model. Supportive housing or shared housing and then push that rather than everyone having an independent living situation," Slade said.