Homeless count finds increases

The increase in residents experiencing homelessness reflect a lack of affordable housing options in the region, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and better count coordination among culturally specific service providers and agencies, said LaPoint, who presented some of his findings at the March 16 meeting of the Wasco County Board of Commissioners.

LaPoint told commissioners the increased coordination by MCCAC inflated the numbers this year, but the data provides a more accurate and complete understanding of houselessness in the community going forward.

“In order to best understand how to address houselessness we need to have solid data that assists with our decision-making,” said LaPoint. “We are grateful for the many partners and community volunteers who came together to make the 2022 Count a success.”

The PIT count plays a critical role in determining the amount of state and federal funding communities receive to address related issue, LaPoint said. It also provides insight into the needs of those impacted by houselessness and the disproportionate impact it has had on communities of color, Native and Latinx community members.

Data on sheltered individuals is collected every year, and every other year data on both sheltered and unsheltered individuals is collected. The 2022 count included both sheltered and unsheltered individuals was collected.

Wasco County

In Wasco County, there was about a 70% increase in people experiencing houselessness, with a significant increase also in the number of sheltered individuals.

This is reflective of the increase in the number of shelter beds in the community: There is almost a 1:1 ratio of new shelter beds to the number who were sheltered.

Wasco County also saw a significant increase in the count of Native and Latinx individuals experiencing houselessness. This is reflective of a focused effort by MCCAC to support culturally specific organizations, like Nch’I Wana Housing and The Next Door, in conducting the count among populations they have expertise in serving and which had been under counted in the past.

Hood River and Sherman counties

Hood River County saw a nearly 27% increase in houseless community members between 2020 and 2022 (56 were counted in 2020 compared to 71 counted in 2022).

There was also a notable increase among Native community members experiencing houselessness in Hood River County.

While the overall numbers were small, Sherman County showed a slight decrease in individuals experiencing houselessness (11 were counted in 2020 and four in 2022).

Regional count

2022 PIT Count for Hood River, Wasco and Sherman Counties (+- from 2020 PIT Count):

269 individuals experiencing houselessness (+90)

177 Unsheltered (+58)

92 Sheltered (+32)

69 self-identified as having a mental illness (+30)

42 identified having a substance use disorder (+20)

14 Veterans (+1)

30 Native Community Members (+22)

42 Latinx Community Members (+22)

25 People of Color (+-0)

 23 Children and Youth under the age of 24 (-11)

Results by county

Hood River County

71 individuals experiencing houselessness (+15)

35 Unsheltered (+22)

36 Sheltered (-7)

15 self-identified as having a mental illness (+10)

7 identified having a substance use disorder (+1)

3 Veterans (-2)

13 Native Community Members (+11)

10 Latinx Community Members (-2)

6 People of Color (-1)

4 Children and Youth under the age of 24 (-12)

Wasco County

194 individuals experiencing houselessness (+82)

138 Unsheltered (+43)

56 Sheltered (+39)

54 self-identified as having a mental illness (+24)

34 identified having a substance use disorder (+18)

9 Veterans (+3)

16 Native Community Members (+10)

32 Latinx Community Members (+24)

19 People of Color (+1)

19 Children and Youth under the age of 24 (+1)

Sherman County

4 individuals experiencing houselessness (-7)

4 Unsheltered (-7)

0 Sheltered (+-0)

0 self-identified as having a mental illness (-4)

1 identified having a substance use disorder (+1)

2 Veterans (+-0)

1 Native Community Members (+1)

0 Latinx Community Members (+-0)

0 People of Color (+-0)

0 Children and Youth under the age of 24 (-1)

About MCCAC

MCCAC is a community action agency serving Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties. Their mission is to build a better future for our community through partnership and equity-centered programs that prevent and eliminate poverty and houselessness.