Oregon Homeless Count, Aug. 23

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has released findings from the 2017 Point-in-Time Homeless Count (http://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/ISD/RA/2017-Point-in-Time-Estimates-Homelessness-Oregon.pdf) which took place in January. Every two years, communities across Oregon come together to identify the number of homeless individuals living in sheltered and unsheltered locations, demographic trends surrounding homelessness, and the unmet needs of homeless households. This year, the count found 13,953 people in Oregon are without a permanent place to call home. This number represents a 6% increase, or an additional 777 people, compared to the last count in 2015. Despite an overall increase, the number of homeless veterans decreased by 9% or 121 people. Significant attention and resources have been focused towards housing veterans in Oregon and these numbers indicate progress is being made. Additionally, the Point-in-Time count found homeless youth under the age of 24 represented 1,731 people or about 12% of all individuals counted. The Point-in-Time count attempts to capture both sheltered and unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness to provide a snapshot of homelessness in the United States. The Point-in-Time count provides us with critical information about those who cannot find a permanent place to call home on a given night. However, it does not tell the full story of homelessness in each community. Counting those impacted by homelessness is difficult due to a variety of factors and these numbers are intended to give a general sense of homeless trends in Oregon and across the country. Point-in-Time count figures are used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine funding priorities and need across the country. In an effort to address homelessness, the 2017 Oregon Legislature provided $40 million in funding to support the Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) program and the State Homeless Assistance Program (SHAP). Both of these are used to immediately get people off the street and help them eventually find long-term, stable housing. The Legislature also approved $1.5 million to further help homeless veterans in Oregon. “The progress we’re making to meet the housing needs of veterans is encouraging, and I’m proud we were able to dedicate additional funding this session to ensure every Oregon veteran has a roof over his or her head,” Governor Brown said. “Still, we have much work ahead to provide safe and affordable housing options for children, seniors, and families in communities across the state.” In addition to a summary of this year’s Point-in-Time count, OHCS is excited to announce the release of a new interactive information dashboard that allows users to view the Point-in-Time data by county for 2015 and 2017. This tool is available online at http://tabsoft.co/2vDk00L.