HUD’s Annual Snapshot of Homelessness in America Shows Oregon’s Total Increased By 9.7 Percent Since 2018

The annual study's numbers are sourced from a one-night inventory taken each January. Oregon had the eighth steepest state increase in homelessness this year.

(Wesley Lapointe)
By Sophie Peel

New data from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development taken from a forthcoming annual report on homelessness in America shows that the number of people classified as homeless has increased by 2.7 percent nationally since 2018.

California saw the biggest increase, with a 16.4 percent spike in homelessness since 2018, according to the department's summary of the report.

But Oregon wasn't far behind, reporting a 9.7 percent increase in homelessness since 2018—the eighth highest increase across states.

The annual report is based on an inventory of individuals experiencing homelessness across the nation on a single night in January, captured by a coalition of homeless services and agencies that calculate the number of people affected.

Not all the news is bleak: 29 states reported declines since last year, while 21 states reported increased numbers

Among the bright spots nationally are a 2.1 percent decline in veterans experiencing homelessness and a 5 percent decline in families with children who experienced homelessness.

But chronic homelessness, defined as people who are cycled in and out of shelters over a number of years, increased by 8.5 percent since last year.

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