11-16-16 Council Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Poverty and Homelessness in Lane County - What are the Facts? Poverty On any given day, on any given street in Lane County, on average, one of every five people you meet are living in poverty. Despite the fact that Lane County is home to a major state university and a highly regarded community college, along with several large industrial employers, its poverty rate of 21.5% is still higher than the Oregon statewide average of 78,203 Lane County residents live 16.6%. A Lane County family of three whose on an income below 100% of the income is at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. federal level lives on an annual income of --2104 U.S. Census data $19,790 or less. The high poverty rate coupled with the high cost of rent creates an environment in which it is difficult for thousands of households to maintain stable living situations. Insufficient Affordable Housing The housing market in Lane County is not unlike many other counties across the country. The economic recession of 2007 and the resulting tight mortgage market led to increased demand for rental housing. Demand pushed rental rates higher while the supply of available rental units decreased. While mortgage lending for homebuyers has eased somewhat in recent years, many households with healthy incomes are still choosing to rent rather than buy. Moreover, in Lane County, the presence of the University of Oregon creates additional demand for rental units by students. The construction of new multi-family rental units in Lane County has been largely concentrated near the university campus, and the rents are relatively high, well above what families with poverty-level incomes can afford. Who Are the Homelessness? The sub-population of Lane County residents who are in poverty and are homeless lives on little or no regular income. The life circumstances that led to their homelessness are many and varied; however, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and involvement in criminal activity all play significant roles. In 2014, 11,668 homeless individuals sought social services through the Lane County Human Services Division. During the 2015 Annual Homeless Point in Of the 1,473 homeless people counted Time Count, 656 individuals were staying in in Lane County on January 25, 2015, emergency shelters; 101 were living in 697 were chronically homeless. “transitional housing;” and 716 men, women, - Lane County 2015 Annual Homeless and children were living without shelter. The Point in Time Count. count included 210 homeless veterans; 100 of them were living unsheltered. Nearly 400 of 2,154 homeless students attended the homeless were identified as suffering public schools in Lane County during from mental illness; 206 were believed to the 2013-14 school year (including have chronic alcohol or substance abuse doubled-up or homeless). issues. Finally, 23 homeless youth under age -Oregon Department of Education - 18, were youth unaccompanied by an adult. Page 4 of 9