Central Oregon Reports Fewer People Homeless but Many Have Been Outside for a Year or More

Oregon allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to manage homelessness, and the investment is beginning to pay dividends.

Resources Are Beginning To Reverse Tallies

Counties in Central Oregon report a decrease in the number of individuals living without a roof over their heads, as all the resources employed by the state begin to reverse tallies.

“We are building supports to get more people on pathways out of homelessness….let’s keep going,” says Governor Tina Kotek, who issued an emergency declaration on homelessness on her first full day in office.

Homelessness in Central Oregon Has Decreased by 19.1%

A 19.1% decrease in homelessness across Central Oregon compared to 2025 has been announced by The Point in Time Count, a federally required annual snapshot of homelessness.

This is validated by the steady progress in the fight to turn the tide made between 2023 and 2025, according to statewide data.

A significant decrease of 40% has been achieved among unsheltered families with children, and a 4% pullback is reported on both the rate of unsheltered homelessness and students in their last year of school.

By June 2025, the state’s response to the crisis increased the number of shelter beds to 6,286, rehoused 5,539 individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and prevented 25,942 households from eviction.

Citing Homeless Leadership Coalition data, The Source says 1,706 people were counted across Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties, Bend had 838 people experiencing homelessness, 50% of those counted had lived in Central Oregon for more than 10 years, 65% had been homeless at least a year, and 227 people were over 55.