The Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC), Central Oregon’s Continuum of Care (CoC), will be kicking off the annual Point In Time Count in Central Oregon on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025. The count is part of a state and national effort to identify the number of individuals experiencing homelessness. An accurate count greatly impacts the amount of available funding for homeless services in our region and provides a snapshot of the growing housing and homelessness crisis.
The Point In Time Count is the only source of nationwide data on sheltered and unsheltered homelessness and is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of all jurisdictions receiving federal funding to provide housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This information helps the federal government to better understand the nature and extent of homelessness nationwide and helps to inform communities’ local strategic planning, capacity building, and advocacy campaigns to prevent and end homelessness.
The Point In Time Count attempts to capture data on both sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness to provide a snapshot of homelessness in the United States. In addition to the total number of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness, information is gathered on a wide range of characteristics of those experiencing homelessness including age, gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status, and disability status.
Individuals and families counted through this effort include people living in:
Shelters
Transitional housing
“Doubled up” or precariously housed with families/friends
Camping, sleeping outdoors or in cars or RV’s without full hookup
Other places not designed for human habitation.
Locally starting on Tuesday, January 28th, and ending on February 3rd, the HLC will be working with community partners to assist in conducting the confidential and anonymous surveys in La Pine, Bend, Sisters, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, and Warm Springs. The HLC has organized a service-based count, leveraging already existing partnerships and services to those experiencing homelessness. If you have any questions about this year’s Point in Time Count please email info@cohomeless.org .
As the 2025 Point in Time Count quickly approaches, we want to express our gratitude for the efforts of all who continue to work together to serve our neighbors who are experiencing housing insecurity. Your service to our most vulnerable neighbors is life saving and hope giving. Together, we remain committed to a vision of Central Oregon where everyone has a safe, stable place to call home.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
This article appears in The Source Weekly January 2, 2025.
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