The homeless population in Oregon’s Lane County has continued to grow, according to an official Point-In-Time Count released this month.
Over 3,000 people in the area were experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 31, according to county officials. That’s over 200 more than the count from a year prior, and an almost 900-person increase from before the pandemic.
Additionally, nearly half of people recorded this year weren’t included in any of the five previous counts, so they’re presumed to be newly homeless.
“Unfortunately, even as we continue to increase the number of ways that people can exit houselessness, we’re still seeing people who are falling into houselessness at a greater rate,” said Kate Budd, the county’s Human Services Division Manager.
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Budd said the good news is that more of the homeless population was sheltered this year. She credits Gov. Tina Kotek’s emergency declaration in 2023 for providing funding for more beds.
“We hope that there will be continued investments in this type of programming into the future,” said Budd, “because we have seen that it helps to move the needle and move people into shelters as well as out of houselessness.”
Budd said this year’s increase in homelessness isn’t as large as county officials would expect based on the community’s high rental prices. She said that’s a sign that the increase in services is making an impact.
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The county’s Point-in-Time count is created using lists from social service providers, as well as on-the-ground outreach. According to Budd, the true number of homeless people is likely higher than what’s been recorded.