Latest data show rise in Multnomah County homelessness. Leaders explain why
Leaders with the county's Homeless Services Department — formerly known as the said it could be due to several factors, including a new data system that does a better job of tracking those living without shelter in the community.
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On Wednesday, the county launched its new data dashboard that tracks, by name, those who have stayed in a shelter, met with a street outreach worker, signed up for housing services or visited local day centers.
Court leaders say the dashboard will provide the most up-to-date record of how many people have entered and exited homelessness each month, but its first month may seem like a jump due to a higher accuracy than previous data collection systems.
'As the by-name data becomes more comprehensive, it will likely result in higher actively homeless numbers. This increase doesn't mean that more people suddenly became homeless, but rather the system is better able to account for everyone who is experiencing homelessness,' said Meghan Arsenault of Community Solutions. 'Having this clearer picture facilitates coordination and stronger matching of housing and service resources to meet people's needs.'
But other factors could have had a hand in increasing these numbers, too.
Data from January 2025 showed that at least 14,361 people were homeless. It also showed more than 7,500 people either entered or retained housing through the county's housing programs, over 5,700 people had received rent assistance, and more than 3,600 people used the county's 24/7-hour shelter system.
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John Tapogna, the senior policy advisor for ECOnorthwest, said the 'root of our homelessness crisis' comes down to a lack of affordable housing.
'Until we make meaningful progress on that front, we'll continue to see high numbers of people entering homelessness — what these data identify as 'inflow,'' Tapogna said. 'Local governments have sheltered and housed more people than ever — outperforming the goals set under the ambitious Supportive Housing Services measure — but the need continues to outpace the available resources.'
And issues with affordability affect more than just homes. The county also notes a lack of livable wages, Social Security checks and federal disability payments leading to higher eviction rates. Meanwhile, inflation has also increased the prices of utilities, food, and healthcare.
In addition to a growing cost of living, Andrew B. Mendenhall of Central City Concern said people are more likely to become homeless while addicted to drugs — including fentanyl — or in need of mental health assistance.
'The impact of the wave of individuals impacted by fentanyl and methamphetamine use disorders and untreated severe mental illness combined with a chronically inadequate affordable housing supply are driving the imbalance between inflows and outflows to homelessness within our region,' Mendenhall said. 'Eviction prevention and housing placements are making a difference, but we must continue to scale behavioral health treatment access and affordable housing development with purpose and haste.'
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These factors mean that more people are becoming homeless than leaving homelessness every month. According to the county, 'for every two people who left homelessness, three other people became homeless or were otherwise added to our by-name list.'
HSD Deputy Director Anna Plumb also noted that more county services will also mean more people tracked by county data.
'It might seem counterintuitive, but increased services can actually lead to a higher count of people experiencing homelessness,' Anna Plumb said. 'That's because we are actually reaching more people than ever before — and making sure they are captured in our data.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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