Recent Survey Shows Rise In Homeless Demographics

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Recent Survey Shows Rise In Homeless Demographics

It is no surprise that we have a homeless crisis on our hands here in Portland. With the cost of living in the city rising, and the lack of affordable housing has only exacerbated the numbers of people that find themselves sleeping on the street. In a recent article by the Oregonian, Molly Harbarger reported on the recent survey showing that the “homeless population in Multnomah County increased nearly 10 percent in the last two years: [meaning that] there are now at least 4,177 people without permanent homes on any given night in Portland.”

Recent strides have been made to try and work together in an effort to help citizens out of poverty and homelessness. As previously reported on this blog, the initiavtive to start two new “one stop shop” shelters downtown and at the Wapato Jail site. Ted Wheeler has combined Portland City and Multnomah County services under one roof to create the Joint Office of Homeless Services. Their efforts have seen a rise in a individuals sleeping in shelters or transitional housing, which is a first step in the right direction.

While the survey didn’t ask homeless citizens what events led them to sleep on the streets in the first place, it did begin to grasp the idea of “who’s being displaced.” The survey’s main issue is the undercount that is most likely happening, as it takes place during the winter months, is voluntary and can also be attributed to the “transient nature” of being homeless.

The demographics collected do show that the fastest growing sub populations among those homeless are people with physical or mental disabilites, people with substance abuse issues, people of color, specifically African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. While there is no easy solution to this issue, the survey results show it is growing rapidly and that our city is going to have to make more strides in order to ensure that our own citizens are sheltered, fed, and given the care they deserve.


You can find more on this issue in Harbarger’s article:

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