Homelessness in Lane County continues to rise, according to the latest Point-In-Time Count. The annual tally took place in January, it’s meant to give an estimate of how many people are living without homes.
People experiencing homelessness jumped 32 percent from last year. Jason Davis, with Lane County Human Services, says this is on par with national, and west coast trends.
DAVIS: “ You might look out and see millions of homes being built all over the place, but not dwellings or structures, or rentals that are accessible to individuals who are teetering. So we’re seeing more and more families, or individuals who are on the brink of homelessness, becoming homeless.”
Davis says the county is working with Eugene and other entities to tackle housing. A total 2,165 people were counted, including families, youth, veterans, and individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues.
Other findings from the report showed that one third of all people reported living with a mental illness, and one-quarter reported substance use. Davis says this shows the complexity of finding solutions.
DAVIS: "It just underscores the importance of making sure that we have services available and access to those services is streamlined as possible."
Davis says while the number of those affected has risen, the county has supported successful initiatives like CAHOOTS, which provides crisis response in Springfield and Eugene.
The county also conducted its first Youth Point-In-Time report which will be released in June.
