SAN DIEGO — The numbers have confirmed what many already suspected.
Homelessness has increased in San Diego County, and it's especially apparent in several cities where tents and makeshift structures fill sidewalks, canyons and freeway offramps.
Results of the first homeless count in two years, released Thursday, found the number of people living in vehicles or outdoors without shelter increased 9 percent in the city of San Diego. In Oceanside, where city officials have introduced a hotel voucher program and plan to open a shelter, the number of people on the street increased 31 percent. In National City, where the San Diego Rescue Mission plans to open a shelter next year, the number of people living without shelter increased 19 percent.
