Portland is facing an unprecedented homelessness crisis, with devastating impacts on individuals, communities, and the larger region. The rise in unsheltered homelessness, which is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as “resid[ing] in a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and/or abandoned buildings (on the street),” is a pressing concern.

This metric reflects unsheltered homelessness in Multnomah County but includes data from the City of Portland because geographically the City is almost entirely within Multnomah County. The City of Portland and Multnomah County work together to provide services to address homelessness.

The number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the Multnomah County has been steadily increasing, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase is reflected in both the Point in Time (PIT) count required by HUD and in the new “by name” database tracked by Multnomah County, which was released in April 2025. The number of people experiencing homelessness overall is also increasing. OVERALL HOMELESSNESS: Number of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness (Multnomah County “By Name” list)

The new data provided by Multnomah County presents a more accurate and alarming picture of the scale of the homelessness crisis. These data inform the work done by Portland Solutions, which is an office that combines the City’s programs addressing homelessness and livability issues, and the Portland Housing Bureau’s work around affordable housing. The City works in collaboration with Multnomah County’s Homeless Services Department (previously the Joint Office of Homeless Services) to assist community members suffering from homelessness on their journey to permanent and stable housing.

Multnomah County updates the Homeless Services Department data dashboard every month. These data are the most accurate reflection of the number of people experiencing homelessness because the data are collected as people access services. Because these data are tracked “by name”, an individual will not be double counted if they access different services or shelter locations.

The Point in Time count of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness takes place in January every other year. This count is a street survey conducted by people who work in homeless services and community volunteers. Reliable data could not be collected in 2021 because of the pandemic. Data was collected instead in 2022, and then back to the regular schedule of collecting data in odd years in 2023 for unsheltered homeless individuals. The 2025 PIT count data should be available by the summer of 2025.

The differing methodologies between these data sources shows vastly different numbers. On this dashboard, we show both the data from Multnomah County’s “by name” list and the PIT count because they serve different purposes. The “by name” list shows a more accurate picture of the number of people experiencing homelessness, but the PIT count provides historical data and data that is standardized nationally.

To mirror the January snapshot provided by the PIT count, annual Multnomah County numbers shown in this metric are from January each year.

You can review monthly homelessness numbers based on the “by name” list on Multnomah County’s Homelessness Dashboard.

You can read the official Point in Time reports as they are released by Multnomah County’s Homeless Services Department (HSD), formerly known as the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS).

For more information on the City of Portland’s response to homelessness, please visit the Shelter Services webpage and the Shelter Services Data Dashboard.