Chronic homelessness down across tri-county area, Multnomah sees record number in shelters

The number of people who are chronically homeless in the Portland-metro area decreased by 17% when compared to data from 2022.

Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties held their first-ever tri-county “Point In Time” count of unhoused people back in late January.

Clackamas and Washington counties both saw a drop in homelessness since 2022.

PAST COVERAGE | 2022 'Point In Time' count gives first snapshot of tri-county homelessness since COVID pandemic

In Multnomah County, the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased in 2023. Those behind the PIT count said that was because of “increasingly robust by-name lists and services data” that helped increase the accuracy of the count.

“The number of people on these lists has grown as outreach and other engagement services have expanded, reaching more people who otherwise would not be counted,” Multnomah County said.

Multnomah County saw a record number of people in shelters in 2023, in part because of expansion efforts launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of people facing homelessness in Multnomah County's traditional street survey was down year-over-year from 1,641 people to 1,604 people. The county also reported a 16% decrease in the number of people counted as chronically homeless.

Washington County saw a drop in chronic homelessness from 250 people to 196 people, saying that drop was because of its expanded housing-focused programs. They say they have helped house 1,300 people who were facing homelessness in 2022.

Clackamas County saw a nearly 31% decrease in its overall homelessness numbers since last year. County officials say they are "making headway" on addressing homelessness by integrating mental health and substance abuse treatment systems.

Below are the main takeaways of the PIT count by county:

Multnomah County: 6,297 people

• 1,604 unsheltered people from traditional Street Count surveys
• 2,340 unsheltered people from enhanced system data collection
• 1,821 in shelter
• 532 in transitional housing

Washington County: 773 people

• 165 unsheltered people from traditional Street Count surveys
• 65 unsheltered people from enhanced system data collection
• 464 in shelter
• 79 in transitional housing

Clackamas County: 410 people

• 178 unsheltered people from traditional Street Count surveys
• 182 in shelter
• 50 in transitional housing

The "enhanced system data collection" cited in the report reflects Multnomah and Washington counties using lists of individuals who have engaged with services in addition to the traditional in-person counts of people living on the streets and those staying in shelters.

"We go through our database of people who have engaged with us, our service providers. And if they didn't get counted through a service but we believe they were unsheltered on January 24th, the night of the count, we included them in our data set," said Denis Theriault, a spokesperson for Multnomah County.

Marisa Zapata is the director of Portland State University's Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), which conducts the tri-county Point in Time count. She said the drop in the overall homeless population despite the added data set is a sign of improvement.

The drop in chronic homelessness, which is defined as someone who has lived unsheltered for more than a year while dealing with a condition like mental illness, may not be immediately recognizable to passersby who see people camping throughout the tri-county area, she added.

"I don't think until we’ve reduced homelessness outside by 90% in some places will people actually see outside and think, ‘OK, things have actually gotten a lot better,'" Zapata said.

The full report based on January's survey is expected to be released this summer.

Zapata said one topic she is interested in is where the homeless population came from, and whether people are moving to Portland or surrounding communities after they lose housing. Based on survey responses that have not yet been released, she said there are signs to suggest that most people experiencing homelessness were already here when they lost housing.

"We continue to see that, no, people are not moving here homeless," Zapata told KATU. "They are our friends, our neighbors, our family. Some were born in the Portland region and some of them moved here because of school, jobs. The same reason why any of us have moved here."