Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon has 37 percent more homeless people this year than last year,  according to a one-night homeless count from housing officials.

Some of that increase likely comes from conducting a more accurate tally. But housing advocates say that doesn’t account for much of it.

Michael Anderson with the Oregon Opportunity Network calls the sudden rise in homelessness, “staggering.”

Michael Anderson: “The other thing that is very, very alarming is the number of these homeless that are families, and families with children. And the idea that young kids don’t have a place to call home should be alarming to all of us.”

Some of the biggest increases come from rural parts of the state. In Deschutes County, the homeless count nearly doubled to include nearly two thousand people. In Crook and Douglas counties, the homeless counts rose by more than fifty percent.

State officials worry that if lawmakers follow through on budget cuts to human services’ programs, the homeless problem will worsen.