REPORT: Jackson county homeless population reaches seven year high

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – A new report today shows homelessness in Jackson County has hit a seven-year high.

The new report released by the Oregon Community Foundation and ECONorthwest says Oregon has a much larger homeless population than other states.

The report calls the situation a crisis and says it requires collaborative solutions from all levels of the community.

“We have a combination of a dysfunctional housing market, not enough housing supply and we also have a chronic homeless population,” said OCF’s Director of Communications, Stephanie Swanson.

According to the Jackson County Continuum of Care, who leads the point in time homeless count along with several other agencies, the top three reasons for homelessness in the county include low hourly wages, the high cost of rent and the low number of available rental units.

The report also states Oregon’s homeless population represents 2.6% of the total homeless population in the nation despite the state’s population only representing 1.3% percent of the nation’s population.

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