Chelan County Reports Drop in Homelessness, Fewer Survey Participants

Chelan County saw a decrease in homelessness compared to 2025; however, there was also a decline in willing participants.

What the Latest PIT Count Shows

READ MORE: Chelan County Prepares 2025 Point in Time Count

“This year's PIT Count was held at a new location because Lighthouse Christian Ministries closed its property on Columbia Street,” said Homeless Program Supervisor Madison Calloway. “The location change to the Salvation Army in Wenatchee may have influenced the lower survey amount, especially our foot traffic on that day, because the Lighthouse was more centrally located.”

Emergency Shelter and Unsheltered Data

Chelan County saw decreases in the number of people living unsheltered and in the number of people living in shelters or temporary housing. The County surveyed 93 households living outside in a vehicle, RV, abandoned building, or tent, which is 11 fewer than last year.

391 people were recorded staying in emergency shelters, including the RV Safe Park, transitional housing programs, or in hotels through an emergency hotel voucher program, which is 14 fewer than in 2025.

HUD Requests 2027 Count Be Skipped

The County has organized the local event, held across the nation during the last week of January, however, Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is asking the County to skip next year and perform the count in 2028.

"The H.U.D has asked us to hold off and skip one year and do the next Point in Time Count in 2028 instead of 2027 so we're going to take a two-year leapfrog and see what the numbers look like in 2028," Smith said. "Outreach volunteers saw a decline in willing people to take the survey."

How PIT Count Data Is Used

Calloway said the data collected this year will be used as a snapshot of homelessness on one day in a community.

“On the local level, the count helps communities plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs, measure progress in decreasing homelessness, and identify strengths and gaps in a community’s current homelessness assistance system,” Calloway said. “However, it is important to note that PIT Count is only capturing people who are unsheltered or staying in an emergency or temporary housing situation that we were able to interview or collect data on Jan. 29.”

The number surveyed is a combination of people who came to the planned events and people who were approached by outreach teams in Chelan and Douglas County.