The sight of unsheltered individuals in Sacramento County is a common sight for anyone who lives in the area, and the latest census confirms there are even more people on the street.The 2022 Sacramento Homelessness Point-in-Time Count was the first in three years, with last year's being canceled due to COVID-19. It is usually conducted every two years.Sacramento Steps Forward, a private nonprofit organization, is the lead agency in charge of the homeless count. It identified 9,278 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night, a 67% increase from the last census, which recorded 5,570 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night.See this year's report here."Some of the reasons for the increase in unsheltered homelessness in our community and in California is most likely attributed to the high cost of housing and the lack of affordable housing," Lisa Bates with Sacramento Steps Forward said.Both, sheltered and unsheltered counts increased since 2019. 2019 sheltered count: 1,6702022 sheltered count: 2,7442019 unsheltered count: 3,9002022 unsheltered count: 6,664The per capita homelessness in Sacramento is estimated to be 59 out of every 10,000 residents.But as homelessness increased in Sacramento, KCRA 3 asked officials why San Francisco is reporting a decrease and now have lower numbers. They attributed the numbers partly to how data is collected. They add that preventative work is important to identify people before they fall into homelessness.KCRA 3 spoke to Kelsey Dison and Kristin Schesser, who say they've been unhoused for about two years."It's harder now because once you hit rock bottom it's so hard. They look at you like you're an alien. They don't want to touch you; they don't want to be around you," Dison, who usually stays in downtown Sacramento, said.Schesser is among the 19% of individuals identified to be living in their vehicles. She moved to Sacramento from Arizona."This is just temporary. This isn't something that's going to be permanent for me at all. And, if I go to a camp, I'm settling for that. If I build something that's 'homey,' then I'm settling and I don't want to get used to it. I want this to be miserable so that I can have the drive to move up," Schesser said.Nick Golling, the homeless services manager at the Department of Community Response in the city of Sacramento, said they need more shelter space."We need spaces that are safe to send people to so that they can work on identifying their barriers to housing and move to that next appropriate step," Golling said.The Point-in-Time Count also shows that Black individuals, while they represent 11% of the overall Sacramento County population, they also make up 31% of the homeless population, making them three-t0-four times more likely to experience homelessness than white individuals.Since the last PIT count, shelter capacity has increased by 57%, providing shelter to 10,459 persons over three years.Other key findings: American Indian/Alaskan natives represent 2% of Sacramento County's population but made up 7% of the homeless population.58% of unsheltered adults reported having at least one disability.A total of 1,600 tents and 1,100 vehicles were identified, four times higher than in 2019. Those in tents made up 30% of the unsheltered, 19% were in vehicles, and 22% were at other locations not considered suitable for human habitation.Veterans' homelessness decreased by 6%.Unsheltered homelessness by families with children was down by 31% since 2019. Research suggests that federal emergency assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with vouchers for hotels and motels also contributed to the decline.