Annual Chelan-Douglas census finds decline in homelessness

Volunteers conduct Point In Time homeless census in Chelan and Douglas counties. Photo courtesy: Lake Chelan Now.

Results of the 2026 Homeless Point in Time Count, held on Jan. 29 across Chelan and Douglas counties, show decreases over last year in both people living unsheltered and in the number of people living in shelters or temporary housing.

However, outreach volunteers also noted a decline in the number of people willing to take the survey, said Madison Calloway, Chelan County Homeless Program supervisor.

“This year's PIT Count was held at a new location because Lighthouse Christian Ministries closed its property on Columbia Street,” Calloway said. “The location change to the Salvation Army in Wenatchee may have influenced the lower survey amount, especially our foot traffic on that day, because the Lighthouse was more centrally located.”

Chelan County has organized the local event, held across the nation during the last week of January, for the last five years. Twelve community partners joined the county at the resource event at the Salvation Army. Chelan Valley HOPE and Upper Valley MEND also held events at their respective locations.

On Jan.29, outreach teams surveyed 84 households experiencing homelessness in Chelan and Douglas counties, meaning they were living outdoors, in a vehicle or RV, in an abandoned building or in a tent or other outdoor area not meant for habitation. This resulted in 93 completed unsheltered surveys.

The 93 people surveyed are a decrease of 11 people, or 10.5 percent, from the 104 unsheltered total last year.

In addition, 391 people were recorded staying in emergency shelters, including the RV Safe Park, transitional housing programs or in a hotel through an emergency hotel/motel voucher program. This number is a decrease of 14 people from the 2025 sheltered total of 405 people.

The number surveyed is a combination of people who came to the planned events and people who were approached by outreach teams in Chelan and Douglas counties. Surveys conducted by outreach teams aimed to collect a variety of demographic information, including how long someone has been without a permanent home, where they reside, where they are from, and whether or not they had been denied access to a shelter or would go to a shelter if available. Demographic questions included age, race, veteran status, children under 18 in the household and if they were fleeing domestic violence.

The full report is on the Chelan County website.

Data collected during the Point in Time Count is intended to be a snapshot of homelessness on one day in a community. PIT Count helps measure and monitor trends and changes in homelessness on local and national levels.

“On the local level, the count helps communities plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs, measure progress in decreasing homelessness, and identify strengths and gaps in a community’s current homelessness assistance system,” Calloway said. “However, it is important to note that PIT Count is only capturing people who are unsheltered or staying in an emergency or temporary housing situation that we were able to interview or collect data on Jan. 29.”