Central Oregon homeless count down, but not in Bend
The results of an annual count of Central Oregon’s homeless, released Tuesday, showed improvement in some areas, but little change in Bend, where higher rents and few vacancies have made it a continued struggle for many to keep a roof over their heads.
The Central Oregon Homeless Leadership Coalition released the data collected from the annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count, conducted on Thursday, January 29.
This year, 2,087 individuals self-identified as persons experiencing homelessness within the tri-county region.
Nearly one of every five individuals surveyed were living in a car, squatting, or camping.
Compared to the previous year, 160 more people experiencing homelessness were unsheltered, “a harsh reality for the quality of life Central Oregon aspires to sustain for the families that live here,” officials said in their announcement of the results.
While affordable housing continues to be a significant concern in Central Oregon, with a rental vacancy rate in the region around or below 1 percent, there have been some small additions to affordable housing capacity.
Housing Works, the regional housing authority, successfully advocated for six additional VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) vouchers. These vouchers provide housing assistance for 85 existing and returning service members in Central Oregon.
Housing Works also began construction on Eastlake Village II. When it opens this summer, this development will add 40 new affordable housing units in Bend.
The tri-county region numbers of people experiencing homelessness show a small decline from record levels, a drop of 323 from the prior year.
“While we have seen the overall homeless number drop, due to many factors, including alternative housing situations, the numbers for Bend are essentially unchanged. Bend has the greatest number of emergency, support, and stabilization services. So it makes sense to not see a drop in this community,” explained Janet Merrell, deputy director of community services for NeighborImpact.
As in past years, “couldn’t afford rent” was identified as the single biggest barrier to participants finding adequate housing.
Also consistent with past counts, children under the age of 18 represented one of the largest groups counted.
This year, 892 children were identified as homeless. For the last three years, children have represented over 40 percent of all individuals identified in this effort.
To review the data summary from the January 2015 count or to learn how to connect with agencies and efforts in your community, visit http://cohomeless.org/.
The Central Oregon Homeless Leadership Coalition is a collaboration of community partners in Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes counties engaging the community through education, advocacy, planning, prioritization and accountability for services to persons experiencing homelessness.
