Back Country Land Trust staff and volunteers drove Alpine streets and hiked local canyons on Jan. 25, to determine there were 10 homeless people in town.
That was three less than the 13 people found last year during the second annual count in 2018, said Jon Green, land trust program and outreach director.
Green said nine people were found during the first count in 2017.
“We’re hovering right about ten and we have three years of data now,” he said.
While there is less trash caused by homeless people, said Green, littering and illegal dumping off Alpine Boulevard continues to be a significant problem.
Alpine is the only rural community surveyed during San Diego County’s “Point in Time Count” at the end of every January. BCLT partners with San Diego County’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness for the early morning research.
The annual count determines what federal aid comes to the area to work with the homeless situation.