The annual point-in-time count, measuring the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, was released on May 19, showing a 17% total increase throughout the region.
The PIT Count is conducted each year across the tri-county region, including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, La Pine, Madras, Prineville and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation.
In 2025, the Homeless Leadership Coalition, which facilitates the count, reported 2,108 total adults and children experiencing houselessness, both sheltered and unsheltered. This most recent county shows a significant increase from previous years. The total was 1,799 people in 2024 and 1,647 people in 2023.
The purpose of the PIT count is to help agencies communicate what’s going on at the local level by collecting data on the number of people experiencing homelessness, as well as their demographics, potential causes of homelessness and how people are or are not accessing local resources.
It also helps local agencies advocate for additional financial resources at the local, state and federal level, while evaluating if current services are being used.
The surveys are collected by local partners and community agencies who go out and survey individuals in shelters, transitional housing, meal sites, health care clinics, motels or hotels, camps on public lands or local streets. From January 28 through February 3, providers asked people where they were staying the night of January 27, to provide a snapshot of a single night.
With a significant increase in certain areas, Molly Heiss, housing stabilization director for NeighborImpact, said some of that growth could be due to a change in methodology, including a shift to local service providers conducting the surveys and an improved data collection process.
“The better data we have, the better choices we can make about investments and resources,” Bend City Councilor Megan Perkins told the Source via email. “The increased engagement from service providers gave us a better picture of what is happening there. Bend’s numbers include China Hat and Juniper Ridge and so it is important for our city to have this information.”
In the 2025 PIT count, Deschutes County experienced a large increase in sheltered people, going from 481 in 2024 to 951 in 2025. The number of unsheltered people increased from 951 to 1,039 in 2025.
By city, Bend’s total number of people experiencing homelessness went from 974 in 2024 to 1,001 in 2025. While Perkins said the City would like to see decreases every year, she believes the City’s investments in services have allowed the numbers to remain stable.
“While we would like to see decreases every year, we have been able to stabilize and flat line the growth. In addition, the small increase in 2025 came almost entirely from sheltered homeless not unsheltered,” Perkins told the Source. “Just a couple of years ago our unsheltered numbers far outweighed our sheltered. To me, all of these things mean our investments in shelters and outdoor managed camps are bearing some fruit.” Cities like Redmond and Prineville saw the most significant increases compared to last year. The total number of people experiencing homelessness in Redmond rose by 224, bringing the total from 150 in 2024 to 374 in 2025. Prineville’s total number also rose, with an increase of 126 people, bringing its total to 367.
Looking at numbers from the past few years, the count found that the total number of people experiencing homelessness has increased by 89% in the last five years. When doing the count, those conducting the surveys also ask those participating to answer a variety of questions that help local residents and agencies better understand the community and its demographics.
The survey results found that 59% of people have lived in Central Oregon for more than 10 years, and over 80% of people have been houseless for a year or longer. Of those who responded, 54% of people also reported having a mental health disorder. Demographic information also found that the total number of children, those under 18, experiencing homelessness increased by 32%, bringing the total from 224 in 2024 to 296 in 2025.
While the count provides an overview of homelessness in Central Oregon, the HLC also admits it’s never completely accurate. Some people in. certain area may be absent from their camp or may be working when surveys are being conducted. For those that decline to participate in the survey, providers are meant to do an “observational survey,” counting someone if they can see them.
“We do believe that this year’s count is more thorough than years past, and it gets better every single year. However, there are variables that cause the number to fluctuate,” said HLC Board Chair Eliza Wilson.
In response to findings from the PIT count, the HLC identified other needs and priorities throughout the housing continuum, which included the need for additional navigation centers, a center providing services to those in need, and a wide range of shelter and housing types.
“That’s how we really have impact on our unhoused population – is by right sizing the solutions to the need of the population,” said Heiss with NeighborImpact. “Everyone’s circumstances that they’re experiencing in an unhoused situation is derived from a different, unique set of events that have happened to that household, and the solution is just as varied.”
HLC called for increased availability of low-barrier shelter and shelter alternatives for all populations. The agency also identified demand for more transitional housing and more permanent supportive housing units.
Other areas of improvement include additional units of affordable housing for very low-income households and additional funding for outreach, rental assistance and landlord mitigation.
“We know we need more. We need more navigation centers. More transitional housing. More permanent supportive housing. But at the City, our first concern is ensuring a strong shelter package comes out of the legislature so we can continue to provide the services we are already providing,” Perkins said. “If any of our shelters were to close, it would be extremely detrimental to our community and those experiencing homelessness.”
*Editor’s note: A previous version of this story has been edited to include comments from Bend City Councilor Megan Perkins.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 15, 2025.
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This situation reflects a direct failure of our City Council and the low-barrier housing policies they have aggressively promoted. The city purchased and renovated hotelsan endeavor that was far from inexpensivereportedly using state funds and grants. However, with anticipated shifts in funding under the current administration, there is growing concern about whether the financial burden of these projects will ultimately fall on local taxpayers.
Compounding the issue, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has allowed individuals to live in our forests, creating dangerous conditions for both the environment and surrounding communities. Now that some areas have been closed for restoration and occupants removed, the broader consequences of this decision are becoming increasingly clear. Its likely that this also contributes to the Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless count, distorting our local data and needs assessments.
Low-barrier housing has proven to be an ineffective and unsustainable solution. Despite significant public investment, it has created a revolving-door system that traps individuals in homelessness without addressing the root causes. These programs fail to provide a true path to recovery or reintegration.
What is urgently needed are high-barrier solutionscomprehensive programs that combine medical care, mental health treatment, and addiction services. Participation should be mandatory, with clear expectations and accountability, so that individuals are empowered to rebuild their lives and contribute meaningfully to the community. This is where our county and city need to work together with their “joint homelessness coalition” but it doesn’t seem to be working. All of these agencies need to work together to solve issues that are not political but true community issues.
Another unintended consequence of the low-barrier model is its tendency to attract unhoused individuals from out of state, drawn by the availability of free services with minimal requirements. This influx increases pressure on already overextended local resources and undermines our ability to serve the needs of our own residents.
Furthermore, while there is much discussion around the need for affordable housing, our city has failed to hold developers accountable for including deed-restricted affordable units on both sides of town. This must become a clear and enforceable priority. We cannot continue allowing development especially on the west sideto cater solely to high-income buyers. A $1.2 million townhouse is not affordable. Instead, such developments foster inequity and accelerate gentrification, leaving lower-income residents behind. It also has created this East Side / West side divide. Our workforce including teachers, mail carriers , refuse industry workers, and service industry personal should be able to work and afford in the neighborhoods they work in.
It is time to re-evaluate our approach. We must prioritize structured, results-driven, and accountable services that address the complex challenges facing our unhoused population, while also promoting fairness and true affordability in our housing policies.
“If you build it, they will come.” No one in the County or City will say this…….but this isn’t a homeless issue. People are coming to Central Oregon for the same reasons they flocked to Portland. I watched it. I was there. They come here for a plentiful drug supply with little to no enforcement. They come here because they know they can set up shop any place they please.
If it was a homeless issue, the facilities that tax payers built for them would be full. They aren’t. The County has a choice. They continue to keep making the wrong one because they are afraid to be run out of town by the woke police.
Mental health/drugs. That’s the issue we face.