Homelessness dropped 28 percent in Thousand Oaks last year, according to the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition.

The Jan. 26 annual count found 106 people homeless in Thousand Oaks in 2010, down from 147 in 2008. In 2009 the count was 81 homeless.

Volunteer counters who took to the streets found 54 homeless men, 23 women and 29 children. Eighty-four were found living on the streets. Twenty-two were in facilities for the homeless.

“Thousand Oaks is on the right track. The percentage went down due to important programs that kept people in housing and gave housing to those who didn‘t have housing,” said Cathy Brudnicki, coalition executive director.

She said it’s not difficult to understand how a city can lower the number of homeless people.

“Housing eliminates homelessness. It’s pretty simple, actually,” she said.

It’s much more cost-effective to keep people housed than to rehouse them, Brudnicki said.

Programs such as those operated by Lutheran Social Services in Thousand Oaks help people in financial trouble find ways to stay in their homes. For example, someone who takes advantage of the nightly free dinner program at local houses of worship can spend on rent the money they save on groceries, said shelter manager Diana Ortuno.

Some nights the charity feeds more than 100 people, she said.

Manna, the local food bank, also offers food so families can use the money saved to pay bills or keep a roof over their heads.

If they have cash donations, local charities can also give money to those in need to help them pay rent for a month or two until they get back on their feet. That prevents homelessness.

“We’ve worked really hard with Many Mansions to get people into housing,” Ortuno said.

The deaths last year of at least seven of Thousand Oaks’ chronically homeless people represent a tragic aspect of the reduction in homeless numbers, Ortuno said.

“Just last week, we had two of our clients who were homeless die in the hospital,” Ortuno said.

She said most of the deaths stem from problems cause by substance abuse. Those who died last year were between 30 and 50 years old, she said.

The 2010 homeless count found 1,815 people who are homeless in Ventura County—a 17 percent decrease from 2009. There was a 25 percent decrease in homeless families.

The coalition attributes the county’s decrease to more housing units for homeless people and community-based homeless prevention funding.

The count found 15 people homeless in Camarillo, 223 in unincorporated areas, five in Fillmore, one in Moorpark, 52 in Ojai, 520 in Oxnard, nine in Port Hueneme, 54 in Santa Paula, 229 in Simi Valley and 601 in Ventura.