Here’s how many people are homeless in Multnomah County and what officials propose to do about it

The number of homeless people in Multnomah County has grown steadily in recent years. Exact figures have long been hard to come by, in part because it’s very difficult to count people who don’t have a steady address or consistent access to government identification.

A few months ago though, county officials released new figures from their recently completed by-name list count. That list contains the name of every person that has recently received some level of services from any provider that receives city or county funding. The list is updated monthly. Officials believe it’s the most accurate count of homeless people that the county has ever had.

Read the whole story on The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.

Photo by Mark Graves