Results from the 2025 homeless Point in Time Count, held Jan. 30, indicate a decrease in people living unsheltered – out of doors or in a place not meant for habitation – and an increase in the number of people living in shelters or temporary housing over last year, the Chelan County Housing Program reported.
“Data collected during the Point in Time Count is intended to be a snapshot of homelessness on this one night in our community,” said Madison Calloway, coordinator of the Chelan County Homeless Program. “The PIT Count helps to measure and monitor trends and changes in homelessness on local and national levels. On the local level, we will use the information to 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.”
Chelan County and its community partners conducted the annual count on Jan. 30 across Chelan and Douglas counties, with resource events at Lighthouse Christian Ministries in Wenatchee. Fifteen agencies were represented at the event. Chelan Valley HOPE and Upper Valley MEND also had events at their respective locations.
“We had a great turnout of outreach volunteers and agencies participating this year,” Calloway said. “This allowed us to target the more rural areas that we had not been able to target in previous years, and contributed to the event’s overall success.”
Some of the information gathered on Jan. 30 includes:
Outreach teams surveyed 104 people experiencing homelessness in the two counties, meaning they were living out of doors or in a vehicle or RV, an abandoned building or a tent or other outdoor area not meant for habitation. The 2025 number is down 37 people from 141 unsheltered counted last year.
Of the people interviewed, 88 considered themselves chronically homeless. In addition, 46 people indicated this was their first time being homeless.
405 people were recorded staying in emergency shelters – including the RV Safe Parks, transitional housing programs or in a hotel through an emergency hotel/motel voucher program. This sheltered number is up 64 people from last year.
The majority of people surveyed were white (63 people), male (61 people) and from Chelan or Douglas counties (94 people). The average age of the people surveyed was 47 years; however, those surveyed ranged from under 18 years old to between 61 and 70 years old.
For a full report on the survey results go to www.co.chelan.wa.us.
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