Homelessness increased in Clatsop County during the coronavirus pandemic.

There were 927 people in the county who were homeless, according to preliminary point-in-time data collected earlier this year. That is up from 894 in 2019, the last time there was a meaningful count.

The data, which still needs to be approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, represents people counted as homeless under the federal definition, meaning someone who lives in a place not meant for human habitation or in temporary emergency shelter.

Of the 927 people counted, 117 were chronically homeless, which is defined as someone with a serious mental illness, physical disability or substance abuse disorder who has been homeless for a year or longer.

Getting an accurate snapshot of the county’s homeless population has always been difficult and has been complicated during the pandemic. The last time the point-in-time count — an annual census of homeless people — most closely matched reality was in 2019, according to social services agencies.

The 2019 figure has been widely cited by political leaders and policymakers because it showed the county as having the highest per capita rate of homelessness in Oregon.

The count is important because it can help determine the degree of state and federal funding for social services.

‘Meaningful count’

Viviana Matthews, the executive director of Clatsop Community Action, which takes the lead on the count, said that while trouble getting a complete count has not been unique to the North Coast, the agency is working on educating community partners on the importance.

“If we want to find solutions on how to remedy the homeless situation here in Clatsop County, we also have to work together on finding a way to do a meaningful count to make sure that everybody who’s experiencing homelessness gets counted,” Matthews said.

“When a school staff member calls (Clatsop Community Action) asking for housing for one of their students, they need to know we are making every effort possible for us to provide housing for the students. However, without the funding, we are not able to do that. And without the count, we’re not able to demonstrate that there is a need for housing funding.”

Clatsop Community Action provides food, housing and energy assistance.

The agency manages five federally funded housing programs through its membership with the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care that provide deposit and rental assistance, as well as ongoing case management services for people experiencing chronic homelessness. The programs support youth, people who are fleeing domestic violence, veterans and families with children.

Clatsop Community Action completes most of the count at its annual outreach event, Project Homeless Connect, which brings together nonprofits, government and faith-based agencies on the North Coast every January in Seaside to offer services to the homeless.

At the same time, Matthews said staffers are sent out into the community to count people not in attendance. She said the agency also relies on help from other social services agencies, schools and hospitals.

Aside from technical assistance, Matthew said the agency does not receive funding to complete the count, which means a strong, coordinated local effort is essential.

She said that while the count is more accurate this year than in recent years, there are still gaps, including an undercount of children, which she attributed to less participation by school districts.

Clatsop County, which has a population of about 42,000, remains a county with among the highest per capita rates of homelessness in the state.

Demographics

Since previous counts, Matthews said the county has seen increases in the number of youth and Latinos experiencing homelessness, as well as people experiencing domestic violence and those who identify as LGBTQ+.

Clatsop County, and Warrenton specifically, has been identified as having among the largest concentration of homeless children in the state.

Matthews noted that some of the demographic groups seeing increases in homelessness are largely unseen and are not visible from the streets. She said they are also some of the most vulnerable, since there are not a lot of services dedicated to those populations.

Matthews said the agency took that into account when working with the county and The Harbor, an advocacy group for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, on plans to convert the Columbia Inn in Astoria into housing for people who are homeless.

“I looked at the demographics of the faces of our homelessness, and I knew that we have to do something creative for the people who are unseen,” she said.

The 22-unit motel, acquired through the state’s Project Turnkey 2.0, will likely help victims of domestic violence, families, the LGBTQ community, Latinos, veterans and people undergoing treatment for substance abuse.

Clatsop Community Action and The Harbor will operate the project, which has the potential to provide housing to 44 people.