The Homeless Leadership Coalition released results this week for the 2023 Point In-Time Count, a survey seeking to gather data about people experiencing homelessness in a community. Central Oregon continues a trend toward more homelessness, one that's continued since the data program started in Central Oregon in 2015. There were 1,647 people experiencing homelessness in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties at the time the count took place, 28% more than the 1,286 counted last year. Eliza Wilson, chair of the HLC, said the homeless crisis is exacerbated by the scarcity and cost of housing in Central Oregon.
"Following the financial hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our neighbors are facing eviction. Upon the expiration of the 'Eviction Moratorium,' we are seeing record numbers of Central Oregonians losing their housing; we believe this is why we are seeing an increase in people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time," Wilson said in a press release.
Wilson called for more services for people experiencing homelessness and pointed to the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report where Central Oregon was referred to as the area with the highest percentages of families living unsheltered — such as in a car, outdoors or an abandoned building — and the highest percentage of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. Some 98 families were counted in the 2023 count, down from 105 the year before. The number of unaccompanied youth rose from 104 to 133 in the same time.
About 72% of respondents were unsheltered, 79% have lived in Central Oregon for at least three years and more than 80% have been homeless for more than a year. Redmond and Warm Springs experienced the sharpest increases in people experiencing homelessness, with Redmond's homeless population more than doubling from 127 to 262 and Warm Springs' homeless population tripling from 22 to 73. In Bend the number rose by almost 30%, from 785 to 1,012. The only Central Oregon community with fewer homeless people than last year is Sunriver, where the numbers dropped from 42 to nine.
The count also noted racial disparities among people experiencing homelessness, with American Indian, Black and Latino people having higher per-capita rates of homelessness than white people.
"Our community is facing this crisis together; Central Oregonians experiencing homelessness are oftentimes elderly, people who are medically vulnerable, veterans, families with children, and unaccompanied youth," said Lindsey Stailing, secretary of the Homeless Leadership Coalition.
The PITC is flawed, however, and likely undercounts the actual number of people experiencing homelessness. The HLC acknowledged that there are limitations to counting unsheltered homeless people, noting that seasonal emergency shelters, street outreach services and school-based advocates report higher rates of homelessness than is represented in the PITC. The HLC said better data could be incorporated through the Homeless Management Information System, which tracks individuals experiencing homelessness in real time. However, not all partnering service providers use the system.
