A One-Man Point in Time Count

The Coordinated Houseless Response Office held a meeting on Sept. 21 outlining its plans moving forward to address houselessness in Central Oregon. Part of that meeting included conversation around a report that some community members found controversial.

City and County staff for Deschutes County, Bend, Redmond, La Pine and Sisters discussed an increase in community engagement when developing shelter or housing options for unsheltered individuals, an overview of applying for and receiving funding for projects and Redmond’s proposal for its Mt. View Community Development during the monthly meeting.

This is a photo that consultant Kevin Dahlgren, left, included in his report on the unhoused in Deschutes County. Credit: Courtesy Deschutes County

In addition to discussing main agenda items, a report from an independent contractor on houseless individuals in Deschutes County came up for discussion.

Portland resident Kevin Dahlgren signed a contract with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in July, instructing him to provide population counts as well as identify resource and service needs of houseless individuals in Central Oregon. Dahlgren describes himself online as a homeless consultant and a “disruptor of the homeless industrial complex.”

Dahlgren, on his website, offers up his skills as a consultant stating, “Let’s work together to end homelessness.” In addition to his work, Dahlgren also creates videos and writes articles on Substack, documenting houseless individuals and their stories under the username truthonthestreets.

According to the terms of Dahlgren’s contract, obtained by the Source Weekly in a records request, Phase One of his $18,000 contract with DCSO required Dahlgren to complete a research, service and resource report at China Hat, one of Deschutes County’s larger encampments.

Dahlgren handed over the report to Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone in August. DeBone then handed out the report at the last CHRO meeting on Aug. 17.

Dahlgren’s duties and the timelines for his work seem to have been mysterious for other county leaders. DeBone said he wasn’t aware of the report before receiving it via email from Dahlgren. “The sheriff and I didn’t communicate about that,” DeBone told the Source Weekly.

Dahlgren’s recently released report, which includes an estimated Point in Time Count as well as a list of shelters, services and information he’s collected from speaking with houseless individuals, was included in the agenda for the Sept. 21 meeting.

The seven-page report lists his assessment of six areas with high numbers of homeless individuals that the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office requested he evaluate, offering estimates about the number of RVs, cars, tents and people at each location. Each assessment also included the number of people not from Deschutes County, the number of individuals Dahlgren estimated would accept sanctioned camping and lastly, the number of people who reported working with an outreach worker offering housing. His report suggests that, of the individuals he spoke with, 63.8% were from outside of the county. Dahlgren’s report included other sections in which he identifies and lists providers and shelters in Central Oregon. That section is markedly short, listing just a few of the shelters and providers the area has to offer.

Homeless advocate and service provider, Chuck Hemingway, publicly expressed his concerns about the report at the Sept. 21 meeting, lodging objections about the report being included in the official meeting agenda, fearing that it could be taken as authoritative or considered a work product of the county.

Hemingway, who said he spoke on behalf of other service providers in the area, argued that the report was inaccurate and incomplete, and said that the Homeless Leadership Coalition PIT count, established in January, was conducted by nonprofits and professionals who did a comprehensive review addressing homelessness in Deschutes County.

“He didn’t do a true point in time count, and he comes up with conclusions that really are a disservice to the service providers who are there virtually every day, working with this community of folks,” said Hemingway.

Hemingway highlighted a contradiction in the report as well, which he claimed could be misleading for people. Dahlgren’s report stated that 7% of homeless individuals report addiction as the leading cause of their homelessness.

The next sentence states, “I believe it is closer to 75% of all adults currently homeless in Deschutes County.” The 2023 point in time count found that 8% of people suffered from substance abuse disorders.

Dahlgren did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.

DeBone noted that this report was one among many that has attempted to assess the Deschutes County homeless population. “This is just information, it’s one person brought in by the sheriff, doing a survey,” DeBone told the Source Weekly.

After hearing from Hemingway at the CHRO meetings, City and County officials agreed that the report should not be seen as fact. The report, still included in the agenda, now has a preface.

“The following report was commissioned by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). The report was shared in the August meeting of the Coordinated Houseless Response Office (CHRO), during the public comment period. The Coordinated Houseless Response Office (CHRO) did not condone or request the report, and had no knowledge of its creation or intended use. The Coordinated Houseless Response Office (CHRO) will continue to rely on evidence-based best practices, including the utilization of the Point-In-Time Count for information.”

Dahlgren’s contract has concluded, according to Sgt. Jason Wall with DCSO.