April 14, 2009

Yakima County Annual Homeless Count Up

YAKIMA – The number of homeless people in Yakima County increased significantly in 2009 while the concentration of this population continued to shift from Yakima to the Lower Valley.

The Fifth Annual Point In Time (PIT) Survey, conducted on Jan. 29, reported 1,314 homeless people living in 667 households that are without permanent shelter. An additional 317 children without homes were counted by local school districts and the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Of the total, 33.1% live in the Upper Valley while 66.9% live in the Lower Valley.

The 2008 PIT Survey reported 1,055 individuals in 570 households. Of this number, 44.5% were living in the Upper Valley; and 55.5% were living in the Lower Valley.< /div>

Tim Sullivan, Housing and Homeless Program Manager for Yakima County, attributes only a portion of the increase in total numbers to bad economic times. For the rest, he says, the Homeless Network of Yakima County, lead organization for conducting the annual survey, has become far more skillful in counting people who are homeless in rural areas.

“Typically, counting people who are homeless has been far more challenging in rural areas than in population centers,” Sullivan says. “Over the course of the past five years, our volunteers have learned how to do much more accurate counts in small communities and rural areas of the county. We get the word out early and often, and we work hard to coordinate donations to provide people who are homeless with a hot meal and other items.”

The 2009 PIT Survey also revealed longer periods of homelessness. Among those counted this year, about half said they had been homeless for at least four months, and 410 said they had been homeless for more than a year. In 2008, about 25% had been homeless for four months or more, and only 164 had been without homes for more than a year.

The most frequent cause of homelessness was lack of money to pay rent, followed by loss of employment. About 10% of those surveyed in 2009 reported holding low wage jobs or receiving unemployment benefits. The most frequent physical disability reported was untreated dental disease followed by chemical dependency and substance abuse.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires local jurisdictions that receive federal funding to conduct a Point In Time Survey annually during one 24-hour period late in January. HUD estimates that the real number of people who are homeless is about three times the total of t hose counted.

Tim Sullivan / 509-574-1520
Pat Brown / 509-248-6166 or 509-860-2505

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