New report finds 22,000 overrepresented homeless children in Oregon, Black and Indigenous communities
a A new statewide report shows homelessness continues to rise across Oregon, disproportionately impacting communities of color and rural communities, leaving 22,000 Oregon children to call home. It shows that you have lost your place.
Homelessness estimates for Oregon in 2023 have been released by Portland State University’s Homeless Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC). This aggregates and expands on annual point-in-time (PIT) count data previously released at the county level.
While PIT’s count records the number of people experiencing homelessness on the streets on any given night, the report says it is likely an undercount and does not capture the full scope of homelessness in the state. It is recognized that this is not the case. The PIT count includes unsheltered homeless people, but does not take into account people who couch surf, live in motels or hotels, or live in their cars. Not. The 2023 PIT count collected data during the week of January 25-31, 2023, with volunteers asking survey participants where they slept on the night of January 24, 2023.
extended data
The expanded report includes PIT count data and Housing Inventory Count, which is data about housing and shelter beds.
Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties released their 2023 PIT count data on May 10, 2023.
Multnomah County had the highest number of homeless people in the state at 6,297. The report counts about 4,000 people sleeping on the streets without shelter. 1,821 people are sleeping in shelters and 532 people are sleeping in temporary housing, meaning 62.6% of the county’s homeless population is without shelter.
Multnomah County has a total of 3,149 shelter beds and a shortage of 3,148. Unsheltered homelessness in Multnomah County increased by 29% from 2022 to 2023.
Although Multnomah County had the highest total number of homeless people and a large portion of its population was unsheltered, the disparities were more severe in some rural counties in Oregon. Deschutes, Lane, Polk, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Josephine, Lake, Sherman, Tillamook, Union, and Wheeler counties all contributed 70%. More than 1,000 homeless people reported not being in shelters.
Some rural counties with total homeless populations in the dozens and dozens, such as Wheeler, Sherman, Lake and Harney counties, report having no shelter beds at all.
population gap
While the PIT count provided an overview of federally mandated data collected in its May 2023 release, the new report provides a detailed analysis of the demographics and disparities in the homeless population.
The report shows that people who identify as Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native are overrepresented in the homeless population at a rate 2.43 times their share of the state’s total population. The disparity was even worse in Multnomah County, with a rate of 3.53 times, and in Jefferson County, with a rate of 4.48 times.
In Multnomah County, Native Americans make up less than 2% of the total population but 5.1% of the homeless population.
Other communities of color were also overrepresented in the population, with people identifying as Black, African American, or Black African overrepresented at a rate of 2.89. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the rate was four times higher.
The report says the biggest disparities often occur in rural counties, but the total number of people affected is “often fewer than 10.”
The disparity also extends to unsheltered homelessness. Native American or Indigenous-identified people made up 5.34% of Multnomah County’s unsheltered homeless population, and Black-identified people made up 17.88%.
PSU HRAC Director Marisa Zapata said in a January presentation on homelessness that the demographics are following national trends.
“In Oregon, we see this disproportionate rate, especially among Native American, African American and Black community members,” Zapata said. “These are dramatic and disproportionate representations.”
homeless children
Approximately 4%, or 22,903, of Oregon’s K-12 school children were homeless during the 2022-2023 school year, according to data from the Oregon Department of Education (ODOE). Multnomah County again had the highest total number of homeless school children at 3,495, but her nine school districts with the highest rates of homelessness among school children were all rural.
The McKenzie School District, located in rural Lane County, reported the highest rate of homelessness among school children at 24 percent. The Mackenzie School District includes small rural towns located along the Mackenzie River, several of which were severely damaged in the devastating Holiday Farm Fire in 2020. Despite state guarantees, subsidized housing for displaced people has been painfully slow, leaving many fire survivors homeless or forced to relocate.
The Arlington School District, located in rural Gilliam County, has the second-highest rate of homeless children, reported at 22% of students.
According to the report, 3,496 children in Oregon are experiencing unaccompanied homelessness, meaning they are not in the physical custody or presence of a parent or legal guardian. ing.
ODOE data is based on the McKinney-Vento Assistance Act, which requires schools to annually report the total number of children considered experiencing homelessness. The definition of homelessness considered by McKinney-Vento is broader than the criteria used during the PIT count, and includes students who are “doubling up,” meaning those who are unable to live due to loss of housing or financial hardship. defined as students who share People are living in hotels, motels, trailer parks, and campgrounds because they don’t have alternative housing; people have been abandoned in hospitals; and people are waiting to be adopted. As a result, the ODOE count is higher than his PIT count data and captures a broader picture of homelessness and housing instability.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequality. This newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon as a way for people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty to earn an income with dignity. Street Roots Newspapers are operated independently of Street Roots Advocacy and are part of the Street Roots organization. Click here to learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2024 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, please send an email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657,extension. 40
