The causes of homelessness and poverty are complicated. Due to the variety of reasons people experience homelessness, it will never be solved with one solution.
The primary reason for homelessness in Central Oregon reported during the latest Annual Point in Time Count survey (January 2023) is economic. Other cited reasons include domestic violence, substance use disorder, and untreated mental illness. These life events happen to people of all races and all economic backgrounds. The 2023 Point-in-Time count showed that people of color are more likely to experience homelessness than their white peers. The difference between the housed and unhoused is the unhoused have run out of both resources and support to weather life’s storms.
We can solve homelessness — but only if our systems are designed to continually reduce and end it. This requires regional shared responsibility in planning, developing, and delivering solutions.
Ending Homelessness