One Night Homeless Count
Homeless Count Background Information
In 2006, the HLC began an annual process of conducting a one-day count of individuals and families in the Tri-county area struggling to find appropriate and adequate housing.
Each year hundreds of individual volunteers and agencies participate in conducting confidential and anonymous surveys to identify the number of people dealing with homelessness. This count provides the most up-to-date information about the number of individuals in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties who are struggling to find adequate housing. Through this data, local agencies and programs are able to qualify for increased funding, better target support services, and develop comprehensive plans to address poverty and homelessness in Central Oregon. This local effort ties into a national effort by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to count people struggling with homelessness across our nation.
The One-Day Count occurs each year in late January, but the planning starts long before that. If you, your family, your church, or services organization is interested in getting involved, please attend a HLC meeting or contact one of the co-chairs. The needs for this event include: fund-raising to buy food and supplies, training volunteers to conduct surveys for the count, packing and distributing supplies, logistical support and much more.
Donations for this event can be given through the Partnership to End Poverty. You can donate with a check payable to Partnership to End Poverty/One Night Homeless Count (PO Box 147, Redmond, OR 97756) or with a credit card by calling (541) 504-1389 or visiting their web site www.partnershiptoendpoverty.org
2010 One Night Homeless Count results now available
The Homeless Leadership Coalition has released the data collected from the annual homeless count, conducted Thursday, January 28, 2010. On this day, 2,402 individuals self-identified as homeless persons within the tri-county region, seven percent more than in 2009. Two out of three self-identified homeless persons came from families with children. Unemployment increased five percent as a cause of homelessness amongst these households.
The homeless count provides a snapshot of Central Oregon’s homeless population in a 24-hour time frame. While it is not a comprehensive count, it provides valuable information to those serving the homeless, helps to educate the public about the issues of homelessness in our region and helps direct public policy planning and development. Oregon Revised Statute 458.528 designates Oregon’s Housing and Community Services (OHCS) as an administering agency for homelessness policies. OHCS provides the Homeless Leadership Coalition with the count instructions and surveys.
Households surveyed identified inability to afford rent, unemployment, and being kicked out as causes of homelessness. Nearly half of the surveyed households identified unemployment as a cause of homelessness, a 25 percent increase from 2007. Although the majority of the homeless households identified that they could not afford rent, this decreased by three percent from last year’s count.
A significant number of homeless persons were children and a significant number were disabled. Two out of five Central Oregon homeless individuals were minor children, a slight increase from last year. Consistent with last year’s count, 20 percent of homeless persons self-identified that they were disabled. A majority of disabled homeless persons self-identified that they suffered from a psychiatric disability.
Click here for the official press release in Adobe PDF format
Click here to view a video about the One Night Homeless Count
Click here for the 2009 Homeless Count Data
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