PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A survey of Oregon’s homeless population shows the number of people living on the streets or in a shelter has jumped by 6 percent from two years ago.
Oregon Housing and Community Services released the numbers Tuesday, saying the count that took place in January found 13,953 people without a place to live. That’s 777 more people compared to the last count in January 2015.
Despite the increase, the number of homeless veterans declined by 9 percent. Gov. Kate Brown says that’s encouraging, but more needs to be done for children, families and seniors.
Multnomah County, which includes Portland, had the most homeless people - 4,177. Nearly half reported having a serious mental illness.
The only other counties with more than 1,000 homeless people are Lane, which includes Eugene, and Marion, where Salem is located.
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