Dianne Evans didn’t expect to become homeless for the first time in her 50s.
But after a bad breakup, the Navy veteran and longtime Livermore resident moved out of her then-boyfriend’s home and into her Ford Excursion. Renting her own place, Evans said, was out of reach.
“On a single income out here, I just couldn’t do it,” she said.
Click Here to Subscribe to the California Political Review
Now 64, Evans lives in a travel trailer she parks in quiet parts of Livermore. She keeps to herself most days and uses the Excursion to commute to San Jose for overnight shifts as a security guard.
Evans is among a growing number of unhoused people in Livermore, where homelessness has climbed even as several of Alameda County’s largest cities have reported declines.
Livermore’s homeless population grew from 277 people in 2024 to 343 this year, the largest increase in Alameda County, according to the latest point-in-time count. The city accounts for only about 4% of the county’s overall homeless population, but its rise — along with increases in neighboring Pleasanton and Dublin — stood out as Alameda, Oakland and Hayward saw notable drops.
The rise in homelessness in Livermore and other parts of the Tri-Valley — which encompasses Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Danville — comes as the region grapples with a population boom. The area is home to some of the fastest-growing cities in the state.
