The report found that despite important local improvements in delivery of services, homelessness continues to rise among residents
VANCOUVER — Council for the Homeless has released its 2022 Homeless Crisis Response System Report for Clark County. The report found that despite important local improvements in delivery of services, homelessness continues to rise among residents.
According to the report, 9,032 people from 5,352 households experienced homelessness in 2022, with two-thirds of them identifying as “newly homeless.” Forty-four percent identified as “Black, Indigenous and people of color” (BIPOC). For comparison, in 2021, 6,285 people from 4,036 households were homeless, with 61% identifying as newly homeless and 40% as BIPOC.
The report says the inflow of newly homeless people appears to be heavily driven by the lack of affordable housing; increasingly higher costs of rent and move-in expenses; stagnant wages; and higher cost of living.
“We are all doing this great work to help people, and the lack of affordable housing continues to pose the most significant challenge to getting people permanently housed,” said Sunny Wonder, deputy director of Council for the Homeless.
Some of the recent service expansions and improvements were:
- More rental assistance than ever distributed in Clark County.
- A significant increase in emergency shelter, bringing the total year-round count to 393 shelter beds.
- Creation of a Youth By-Name List to focus efforts on youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness without a parent or guardian.
- A tenfold increase in outreach workers.
The report is available at www.councilforthehomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2022-CFTH-System-Numbers-Report-PROOF3.pdf.
A public dashboard displaying program data, updated monthly, is available at www.councilforthehomeless.org/system-dashboard.
On June 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Council for the Homeless will present a free webinar on the “State of Homelessness in Clark County: 2022 System Numbers.” Discussed will be the numbers of people experiencing homelessness, services they needed and accessed, and individual and group demographics. Anyone can attend by registering at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_640aCkWPRSSfIAYGD7yKfA#/registration.
Council for the Homeless is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide community leadership, compelling advocacy, and practical solutions to prevent and end homelessness in Clark County. www.councilforthehomeless.org
Also read:
- Clark College officially opens Advanced Manufacturing Center in Ridgefield
Clark College marked the official opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Ridgefield, a new facility focused on training students for careers in advanced manufacturing. - POLL: With updated estimates reaching as high as $17.7 billion, what should happen to the I-5 Bridge replacement project?
A new poll asks readers how the I-5 Bridge replacement project should proceed amid higher cost estimates and questions about transparency within the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. - Letter: ‘Walz’s tough talk is a blatant attempt to deflect his complicity in the massive fraud in his state’
Camas resident Anna Miller argues that a governor has no legal authority to deploy the National Guard to interfere with federal law enforcement and criticizes Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s public statements. - VIDEO: Reykdal tells school districts to ‘abide by the law’ on trans athletes
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said Washington school districts must follow state law on transgender athletes as citizen initiatives and related Supreme Court cases move forward. - County seeks community needs survey responses from residents
Clark County Community Services is collecting survey responses from residents living on limited incomes to inform its required Community Needs Assessment and guide funding priorities for anti-poverty services. - Opinion: Not a Good choice
Lars Larson argues that personal choices led to a deadly confrontation with law enforcement during an ICE operation in Minneapolis. - County Charter Review Commission to hold first two meetings in January
The Clark County Charter Review Commission will meet twice in January to begin reviewing the county’s charter and consider whether to recommend amendments for voter approval.
