Community Development

Homeless Programs

The County Community Development Division provides infrastructure and facilitation to the Coordinating Council for Homeless Programs (CCHP).

CCHP is a consortium of individuals and organizations with the common purpose of planning a housing and services continuum for people who are homeless. CCHP is not a formal advisory council to Clackamas County although it does operate with County staff support. CCHP was originated to meet the Federal HUD requirement for Continuum of Care McKinney-Vento funds to flow into Clackamas County for people who are homeless.

The mission of the Council is to facilitate the development of a continuum of care (housing + services) that provides opportunities to significantly mitigate homelessness in Clackamas County, via:

• Full utilization of mainstream resources;
• Coordination of service delivery and housing systems;
• Systemic agreements and institutional targeting of populations at high risk of homelessness;
• Creative cultivation of new resources;
• Public awareness to foster a collective sense of responsibility.

The above mission, developed by CCHP, is based on a set of principles which will permeate its implementation. These principles are:

• Equity of access to housing and services;
• Choice and self-determination as consistently part of the process;
• Treating people with dignity and respect, regardless of their housing status;
• Culturally competent services;
• Non-judgmental approach to people and their problems throughout the housing and service systems.

Activities of the Coordinating Council for Homeless Programs are targeted to:

• Identify and advocate for the needs of people who are homeless in Clackamas County;
• Facilitate the development of a continuum of care including housing and services for people who are homeless in Clackamas County;
• Develop short and long term plans to mitigate homelessness in Clackamas County.
• Recommend funding priorities to HUD for new and renewal projects.

The Coordinating Council for Homeless Programs submits an annual report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) articulating the Council's planning efforts and other activities within Clackamas County which relate to homeless people. To get a copy of this report, contact the County Community Development Division at 503-655-8591.

To review the report of the homeless count, please click 2007 Homeless Count.

Clackamas County Homeless Count 2007

The Clackamas County Homeless Count 2007 is a point-in-time count of homeless persons in the County. Homeless persons include those without their own apartment, house or mobile home; and those living doubled up in overcrowded conditions. Not every homeless person was included in the actual count. However, the count serves as a reference point for extrapolating estimates of the total number of homeless persons in the County during the fourth week of January 2007. Findings from the 2007 count can be used to enhance understanding of the extent of homelessness in Clackamas County, and to support implementation of the Ten-Year Plan to Address Homelessness.

Who Participated

• Clackamas County Coordinating Council for the Homeless
• 130 Community Volunteers
• Homeless Advocates
• School Homeless and Migrant Homeless Liaisons
• Community Agency and Shelter Staff
• Clackamas County Staff

What Was Done and When

• A one-night street and shelter count for the fourth week in January 2007
• Service based counts over serveral weeks preceding and immmediately following the stree and shelter count

Where the Count Was Done

• Rural and urban areas
• Food distribution sites
• Service agencies
• Schools
• Camps and other outdoor sites
• Transit malls and other miscellaneous sites
• Emergency shelters and transitional housing

Why the Count Was Done

• Fulfill requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Build on prior work to count the number of homeless persons in Clackamas County
• Utilize a process to support development of estimates of the total number of homeless persons
• Enhance understanding of the scope of homelessness in Clackamas County
• Use data for planning and reporting

How the Count Was Done

• Personal interviews of homeless persons
• Reports prepared from school counts of homeless children and their families
• Surveys completed at emergency shelters and transitional housing sites
• Utilization of numerous screens to control for any potential duplication of count

Findings

• 3,543 homeless persons were counted
• The count included 1,310 children (37%) and 2,233 adults (63%)
• There were 2,733 persons in 568 families with children (51% of households)
• There were 737 persons in 467 adult-only households (42% of households)
• The count included 73 unaccompanied youth (7% of households)
• Eight percent of those surveyed were veterans
• Top places where homeless persons in Clackamas County slept in January 2007:
  • Doubled up/overcrowded conditions (62 percent of those surveyed)
  • Outdoors --camps, street, forest/woods, by/under bridges, by railroad tracks (10 percent of those surveyed)
  • Emergency shelters, transitional housing (nine percent)
  • In cars/trucks (nine percent of those surveyed)
• Top things people say they need to get out of being homeless:
  • Money to help pay rent (52 percent of those interviewed)
  • Money to help pay rent deposit (40 percent of those interviewed)
  • Food (38 percent of those interviewed)
  • Help getting a job (38 percent of those interviewed)
  • Medical care (29 percent of those interviewed) 
• 8,272 projected total number of homeless persons in Clackamas County at the end of January 2007
  • Includes 3,543 persons actually counted
  • Plus 4,729 additional homeless persons estimated using statistical modeling
  • Includes an estimated 2,531 children in 1,082 families

About Those Sleeping Outdoors, in Emergency Shelters or in Transitional Housing (HUD Homeless)

• 545 HUD homeless persons out of 3,543 total homeless persons counted
• The number of HUD homeless included 140 children (26%) and 405 adults (74%)
• There were 237 persons in 74 families with children (23% of HUD households)
• There were 306 persons in 243 adult-only households (76% of HUD households)
• 2 HUD homeless persons counted were unaccompanied youth (1% of HUD households)
• The count included 60 chronically homeless persons*
• 1,576 projected number of HUD homeless persons in Clackamas County at the end of January 2007

* Chronically homeless persons are unaccompanied homeless individuals with disabling conditions who have either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or have had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years

Progress Since the 2005 Unsheltered Homeless Count

• Extended community and volunteer interest and support
• Expanded agency participation increased access to homeless persons
• Greater penetration of rural areas and coverage of places frequented by homeless persons
• Increased use of personal interviews to capture important demographic information

Opportunities for Future Counts

• Continue to build on strong community and volunteer support
• Continue to attract greater numbers of bilingual volunteers
• Explore ways to identify camp sites in advance of the count
• Expand involvement of currently homeless persons in planning for the count
• Seek additional ways to survey underrepresented homeless subpopulations including veterans, migrant workers, the chronically homeless, and disabled persons
• Consider conducting a count in warmer months, if HUD permits

For any questions on the Clackamas County Homeless Count 2007, please contact Liz Bartell, Clackamas County Social Services Division, at (503) 650-5725 or lizb@co.clackamas.or.us