Lane County's homeless population sees a 72% increase since 2018, survey results show

Miranda Cyr, Register-Guard
·4 min read
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Campers on July 12 occupy a strip of land along the railroad tracks in Eugene as a row of new housing rises in the background near Downtown Riverfront Park.
Campers on July 12 occupy a strip of land along the railroad tracks in Eugene as a row of new housing rises in the background near Downtown Riverfront Park.

Lane County homelessness has increased by 72% in the past five years, according to the results of the annual survey of unhoused people in the region.

The data, which organizations widely agree is an undercount of a community's actual homeless population, is used to help gauge funding and resource needs. According to Lane County, the count helps identify the most at-risk individuals and determine the need for intensive services such as shelter and housing.

What is the Homeless Point in Time Count?

The national Homeless Point in Time (PIT) Count happens on the last Wednesday in January every year, falling this year on Jan. 25. The Lane County Human Services Division, in partnership with other agencies, conducts the three-part survey, which includes a count of the unsheltered and sheltered population of people experiencing homelessness, as well as a Housing Inventory Count (HIC).

According to a Lane County news release, the summary of the reports is used year-round by planning boards, nonprofits, community organizations and policymakers at local, state and federal levels to inform their work on homelessness.

The count also uses Lane County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), an electronic database used to track the characteristics and service needs of persons experiencing poverty and homelessness in Lane County.

What is the count?

This year, surveyors approached nearly 260 individuals and asked them to participate in the count. About 35 declined to be surveyed and 61 participated but had already been counted through HMIS, so they were not included in the count.

A total of 163 individuals completed the survey and were not already in the HMIS count, so they were added to this year’s unsheltered count.

Of the 2,824 people counted:

  • 640 individuals (22.7%) were staying in emergency shelter.

  • 74 individuals (2.6%) were living in transitional housing designated for people who are homeless.

  • 2,110 individuals (74.7%) were without shelter.

  • 491 of these individuals 917.4%) were staying in alternative shelter programs.

The news release noted that while "alternative shelter programs" like Safe Sleep Sites, rest stops and sanctioned car camping are important and needed, they do not meet the definition of shelter outlined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Characteristics and trends identified by Lane County

From the survey questions asked, Lane County drew conclusions, comparing responses to years past.

Shelter status and general findings for the unhoused population in Lane County:

  • The number of individuals experiencing homelessness has increased by 72% in the past five years, from 1,641 individuals in 2018 to 2,284 individuals in 2023.

  • 1,170 people were considered chronically homeless (41.4%), which is defined as someone who has been unhoused for at least 12 months or on four or more separate occasions in the past three years.

  • Overall, 75% of homeless people were unsheltered. This is 10 percentage points higher than the pre-pandemic count from January 2020, which was 65%.

  • The percentage of chronically homeless people who were sheltered increased significantly from 2020 to 2023, from 24% to 43%.

Ages and family circumstances for unhoused people in Lane County this year:

  • 411 homeless individuals were in households with children (117 households); 108 of those were sheltered (33 households) and 303 individuals were unsheltered (84 households).

  • 14 homeless children were unaccompanied by adults, compared to 20 in 2020.

  • 154 homeless youth age 18-24 were unaccompanied.

  • 552 homeless individuals were age 55-64 (165 sheltered and 387 unsheltered).

  • 248 individuals were age 65 and older (89 sheltered and 156 unsheltered).

Statistics on mental health, abuse and veterans:

  • The percentage of unhoused people who had experienced domestic violence increased significantly this year, from 7.8% of people counted in 2022 to 19.7% of people counted in 2023.

  • 197 homeless individuals (7%) were veterans; 51 were sheltered and 146 were unsheltered. This is a three percentage-point decrease from 2022's 10%.

  • 1,114 people (39.4%) self-reported a mental health condition.

  • 651 people (23.1%) self-reported a substance use disorder.

Funding

Upon becoming governor, Gov. Tina Kotek in January declared a state of emergency due to homelessness.

More than $15 million in state funding has been allocated to local agencies targeting homelessness, including $4 million to shelter programs, $2.4 million to preventative assistance, $8.3 million to re-housing assistance programs and $1.2 million to street outreach programs.

In April, Lane County received another $4.1 million in federal funding to go toward homelessness services.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County's homeless population increased 72% since 2018