Chelan County to Expand Homeless Point in Time Count

The annual Homeless Point in Time Count is scheduled for Jan. 30, a Thursday, from 7 a.m. to noon.

In a commentary on the underacknowledged but growing plague of rural homelessness, the county and its partners are expanding their reach. This year they'll be trekking through the more remote parts of Chelan and Douglas counties. Simultaneous resource fair events will be held at Lighthouse Christian Ministries (in Wenatchee), the Chelan County Fire District 3 station (Leavenworth) and Chelan Valley Hope (Chelan).

This isn't a purely local endeavor. Jurisdictions across Washington - across the country - calculate headcounts each winter at the direction of HUD and state-level Commerce officials. The information gleaned from these walkabouts is then used to agitate for better and more responsive homeless housing services, according to Amber Hallberg, who is Chelan County's point person on community services.

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At this time last year, 141 locals were observed sleeping in areas not fit for human habitation: the outdoors, motor vehicles, tents, abandoned buildings. (141 would seem, at first blush, to be a gross undercount, since homelessness in this region presumably ebbs during the winter months. We await comment on the exact nature of seasonal trends in homelessness. Either way, the figure above represents a 20 percent increase over 2023.)

An additional 341 people found temporary solace in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs or hotel rooms, which are sometimes made available through hotel/motel voucher programs of the sort offered by SAGE.

How are the unhoused compensated for their cooperation with census-takers? They're provided with backpacks containing all manner of winter essentials - gloves, socks, handwarmers - as well as hygiene products and food, according to a press release.

"In addition to the centralized events," notes the press release, "staff from various nonprofits who work with the unhoused population and some community volunteers will be going throughout Chelan and Douglas counties to speak to people on the street and provide resources. Outreach teams will be visiting new locations in more rural parts of the county to identify any people living in tents, cars or RVs. Areas will include Orondo, Entiat, Rock Island, Plain, Cashmere, Peshastin and Dryden."

"Chelan Valley Hope in Chelan will cover the Chelan Valley and Northern Douglas County and Upper Valley MEND in Leavenworth will cover the Cascade School District service area and Cashmere. Wenatchee and East Wenatchee outreach will be covered by multiple agencies from within the two cities."

"The Columbia Valley Community Health Mobile Clinic also will be on site at Lighthouse Christian Ministries to provide access to medical professionals for people needing medical, mental health and substance use disorder services."