Chronicle news service
On the last Wednesday of January, the Lane County Human Services Division, in collaboration with various local agencies and organizations, conducted its annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, an effort aimed at measuring the scope of homelessness in the region.
This count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is supported by the Oregon Housing and Community Services, which allocates funding for outreach programs, shelters, and supportive services for the unhoused population.
- Chronically homeless
- 2024: 1,500; 2025: 1,630
- Households with children
- 2024: 425; 2025: 419
- Veterans
- 2024: 151 2025: 210
- Unaccompanied youth
- 2024: 198 2025: 237
- Aged 65 or older
- 2024: 301 2025: 264
- Domestic violence survivors
- 2024: 681 2025: 3,404
- Total sheltered
- 2024: 989 2025: 1,505
- Total Unsheltered
- 2024: 2,096 2025: 2,004
- Total Count
- 2024: 3,085 2025: 3,509
On the night of Jan. 29, it was noted that:
■ 3,509 were experiencing homelessness in Lane County. Based on previous PIT Counts, this is a 14% (3,085 people) increase from 2024 and a 24% (2,824 people) increase from the 2023 count.
■ 52 percent more people were sheltered and slightly fewer were unsheltered than during the 2024 count. The majority of the increase is a result of 495 additional cold weather shelter beds being available due to the extremely cold temperature. The beds include the St. Vincent DePaul Egan severe weather sites and Catholic Community Services motel vouchers for families.
■ 209 people were provided alternative shelter accommodations. This means an individual slept in a program that provided a roof over their head but that did not meet the technical definition of “emergency shelter.” These are mostly safe parking locations and sites that do not provide electricity and/or heat to individual units. Of the 3,509 people counted during one night:
■ 914 individuals were staying in formal Emergency Shelters. … The number of Emergency Shelter beds remained similar to last year thanks in part to the Governor’s continuation of the Executive Order funding, having created 304 additional emergency shelter beds in 2024.
■ 96 individuals were living in Transitional Housing, which is a program that offers temporary housing (up to 24 months) with supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness with the goal of interim stability and support to successfully move to and maintain permanent housing. Transitional Housing beds increased by 27 due to additional Veteran Affairs investments.
■ 2,004 individuals were without formal shelter
■ 209 of these individuals were staying in alternative shelter programs like Rest Stops, Microsites, and sanctioned vehicle camping. While these provide much-needed safe places to sleep, they do not meet the HUD definition of emergency shelter.
■ The percentage of individuals who are chronically homeless and sheltered increased from 2020 to 2024, from 25% to 46%. In Lane County, we are seeing people remain unhoused for a longer period of time. … There has been a greater focus across emergency and alternative shelter providers to reduce barriers to access and lower shelter requirements in order to effectively support people who are chronically homeless and have greater vulnerabilities.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), supported by Oregon Housing and Community Services, mandates a count of the unhoused population, which took place on Jan. 29 this year. This count utilizes comprehensive surveys and data from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), providing a more accurate picture of homelessness, though it may still be an underestimation due to the transient nature of the issue. The data collected is crucial for various stakeholders, including planning boards and policymakers, to shape effective strategies to address homelessness throughout the year.
Trends
The number of unhoused people in Lane County continues to rise, as highlighted during the cold 2025 PIT count night when nearly 500 cold-weather shelter beds were made available, allowing those who typically wouldn’t seek shelter to access it. This led to a more accurate count and was a primary factor in the increase in PIT counts. Each household likely faced different paths to homelessness, but the increase is primarily due to the scarcity of affordable housing for low-income individuals. The PIT Count showed that only 35% of those counted were also counted in 2024, and only an additional 15% (50% total) were counted in the last five counts (2020-2024). In 2024, 5,161 households fell into homelessness, joining 5,704 who were already unhoused. With help from various supportive housing programs, 5,160 households exited the homeless services system.
In Springfield and Eugene, 33,210 housing units are needed over the next 20 years to meet the needs of both housed and unhoused populations. Currently, Eugene/Springfield has a rental vacancy rate of 3.5%, the lowest in Oregon among large metropolitan areas, making it a challenge to find new housing. Those facing obstacles such as poor credit, conviction histories, and low incomes have even fewer options and higher move-in costs.
In response to the Jan. 10, 2023, Governor’s Executive Order on the homelessness crisis, from Jan. 10, 2024, to May 12, 2025, Lane County, in partnership with various service providers, supported 650 households in transitioning to permanent housing through outreach, short-term support for move-in costs, and long-term support like rent assistance and case management. Additionally, 787 households were prevented from falling into homelessness through rent arrears payment and supportive services.
