Lewis County Public Health and Social Services shared some statistics from their Homeless Connect event held Friday, Jan. 31, at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, during the Lewis County Board of Health meeting on Monday, Feb. 10.
The Homeless Connect event was not restricted to people without housing and also served community members who are housing insecure or need to access social services.
Lewis County Social Services Supervisor Justia Madrigal said 231 community members attended the event, which featured more than 30 vendors and agencies, including The Salvation Army, Coastal Community Action Program and Destination Hope and Recovery, among others.
During the event, the Department of Licensing issued 16 licenses or ID cards. Cascade West Veterinary vaccinated 15 pets, Nate’s 98 Barbershop gave 15 haircuts and the City of Centralia registered three pets.
The East Lewis County Homeless Connect event, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 3, in Morton, was canceled due to winter weather. According to Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, the event will be rescheduled, but the department has yet to announce a new date.
Outreach to homeless individuals began on Thursday, Jan. 30, and concluded on Thursday, Feb. 6. The event was also the county’s opportunity to take part in the nation’s annual point-in-time count, which is an attempt to count the total homeless population. It is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Local organizations surveyed the homeless population within the county, asking where they slept on the night of Jan. 30.
After the count is completed, the collected data is compiled by the county and submitted to the state. The count is used to create a report due to be published in September. The information is then used to determine funding for districts depending on the size of the local homeless population.
In 2024, the point-in-time count tallied 130 homeless residents in Lewis County, down from 153 in 2023 but still up from 120 in 2022. Of the 130 homeless residents counted in the 2024 tally, 40 were unsheltered and 90 were sheltered in an emergency shelter, transitional housing or Safe Haven supportive housing, according to the report published by the Washington state Department of Commerce.
