Though the broader trend remains positive, Clackamas County found more individuals experiencing homelessness during a one-time count in 2025 than they had in 2023.

Due to a U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development requirement, the county conducts a one-time count of its homeless population every two years. During this year’s count on Jan. 22, the government tallied 568 people experiencing homelessness compared to 410 in 2023. However, the count is still well below the local government’s tally of 1,166 in 2019.

Since 2019, with the help of the Metro regional government’s Supportive Housing Services measure, the county has significantly boosted services designed to get people off of the streets and into stable housing sources. County staff discussed the new report during a meeting Tuesday, May 13.

“Overall these numbers on this chart reflect the growth of the system of care to respond to homelessness in Clackamas County since 2020,” said Mary Rumbaugh, the health housing and human service director, at the meeting. “A lot of it has been driven by the Supportive Housing Services measure and the investments we have been able to make in programs and services and establishing a robust continuum care for people experiencing homelessness.”

According to a recent Supportive Housing Services annual report, the county placed 1,247 people into permanent housing and helped 2,679 avoid eviction in the 2023-24 year. Work includes enlisting outreach providers to connect with people experiencing homelessness, provide them with food and other essential services and connect them with emergency shelters.

The county attributed the uptick from 2023 to economic conditions, including the continued high cost of housing and inflationary impacts. Staff noted that the overall increase was in part due to a rise in individuals who are over 55 years old The number of chronically homeless individuals dropped from 248 in 2023 to 194 in 2025.

The number of folks over the age of 55 experiencing homelessness jumped from 82 to 135 while the number of young adults (18 to 24) increased from 25 to 34 and the children from 63 to 75. Some of the young adults who are homeless have kids, staff said. Increased substance abuse or mental illness did not seem to be a driver, as those two numbers stayed relatively flat within the count from 2023 to 2025.

Some other populations in the count: 41 veterans, 100 victims of domestic violence, 43 families with at least one child, 408 white people, 61 Latinos, 32 Native Americans/Indigenous people and 24 Black or African Americans.

Clackamas County commissioners were not discouraged by the results of the count and said addressing homelessness continues to be a priority.

“It’s clear that even though we had an uptick in numbers, it’s working, and we’re still comparatively much better than most counties in the region,” Commissioner Ben West said at the meeting.