The homeless population of Lewis County has roughly doubled in the past year, according to initial survey results released by the Lewis County Public Health and Social Services department.
And while the recession and high unemployment are partly to blame, cooperating agencies say methods of surveying and reporting the homeless have improved and are also factoring into rising numbers.
“Some years we’re better than others at counting,” Michaelle Sorlie, housing programs coordinator for the county, said of the homeless numbers. “But it could very well be that the economy has really increased our homeless population.”
Jan. 28’s point-in-time survey found 918 people living without a permanent home, 54 percent of whom were children.
The same survey conducted in 2009 found 440 people living without a permanent home. That category includes a range of people, from those living in a shelter to those in temporary housing or couch-surfing.
This year, for the first time, Gutierrez Consultants administered the homeless count. The agency has also worked with Thurston County in the past.
“I think they did a better job than I had,” Lewis County Shelter Program Case Manager Talia Scott said, noting her first and only foray as coordinator of the point-in-time survey last year. “It’s one of those things that I think we’re going to get better at every year.”
A point-in-time survey assesses only a specified period of time, but the statistics could be found on any given day, the health and social services department said.
Of the numbers assessed, 142 people were found living without shelter. Last year 107 people were found living in the same conditions.
However, cooperating agencies say the report doesn’t capture the true number of people who are living homeless — there are, in fact, more.
“There’s still people we know that didn’t get counted,” Scott said, noting how schools will assess how many students are attending school without a permanent home and yet fail to take into account a parent or two.
While the community and health care professionals work on a 10-year plan to reduce homelessness in Lewis County, Scott said the rising count of homeless allocates more funding for providing services where they lack.
“Family break-up” was listed as the No. 1 reason respondents to the survey cited for being homeless. Loss of ability to pay rent or mortgage and loss of job were cited as the No. 2 and 3 reasons, respectively.
“This population really needs assistance,” Scott said.
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Adam Pearson: (360) 807-8208
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Where do Lewis County’s Homeless Live?
Only a small fraction of the people listed as homeless in Lewis County actually live outdoors or in their car. Most are living temporarily with family and friends or in transitional housing. Here is the Lewis County homeless living situation by number of people and percentage of the total:
Emergency Shelter: 33 — 7 percent
Transitional Housing: 96 — 20 percent
Permanent Support: 2 — less than 1 percent
Temporary, With Family or Friends: 297 — 62 percent
Out of Doors: 24 — 5 percent
Vehicle: 15 — 3 percent
Abandoned Building: 4 — 1 percent
Jail: 10 — 2 percent
Disability Status by Individual:
Permanently Physically Disabled: 84 — 9 percent
Mentally Disabled: 152 — 17 percent
Visually Impaired: 30 — 3 percent
Infected With HIV/AIDS: 4 — less than 1 percent
Temporarily Physically Disabled: 35 — 4 percent
Alcohol or Drug Use: 35 — 4 percent
Developmental Disability: 34 — 4 percent
Literacy Disability: 27 — 3 percent
