Multnomah County's overall homeless population has increased 10 percent since 2015, according to the 2017 Homeless Point-In-Time count. But Portland is not alone. Other West Coast cities have also seen their homeless populations increase – and they’re taking steps to address the crisis.
King County (Seattle)
Unsheltered: 3,772
Sheltered/transitional housing: 10,047
Overall: 13,819
Overall homelessness, 2015-17: +16%*
Unsheltered homelessness, 2015-17: +45%*
(*King County changed its street count methodology in 2017)
What they are doing about it
Like Portland, Seattle has declared a state of housing emergency and is struggling with providing adequate housing.
In 2016, Seattle passed a housing levy for $290 million. The levy has been passed on five occasions since 1981 and has helped build 12,500 units of affordable housing and has helped 900 households purchase their first home. It has also helped prevent 6,500 individuals and families from being evicted.
King County is currently exploring a sales tax to take to voters in 2018 for $469 million for homeless services.
Los Angeles County
Unsheltered: 14,966
Sheltered/transitional housing: 42,828
Overall: 57,794
Overall homelessness, 2015-17: +30%
Unsheltered homelessness, 2015-17: +38%
What they are doing about it
The numbers in Los Angeles are staggering. The county has responded by passing a $1 billion affordable housing bond in November, followed by a $3.5 billion voter-approved sales tax for homeless services just months later. The sales tax will create $355 million annually for the next 10 years.
Multnomah County (Portland)
Unsheltered: 1,668
Sheltered/transitional housing: 2,509
Overall: 4,177
Overall homelessness, 2015-17: +9.9%
Unsheltered homelessness, 2015-17: -11.6%
What they are doing about it
Portland voters in November passed an affordable-housing bond to fund the construction of more than a 1,000 units to support 3,000 individuals and families. Portland and Multnomah County governments, meanwhile, are investing nearly $50 million annually to support access to housing.