Thurston County Tallies 766 People Experiencing Homelessness, Preliminary Data Show

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Thurston County Public Health and Social Services on Thursday released preliminary data for the 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Census.

This year, the census counted 766 people experiencing homelessness.

The preliminary data collection sought to come up with a number for how many Thurston County residents are currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness and how many people are staying in shelters or transitional housing programs.

An annual effort, the census is conducted on the fourth Thursday in January each year. However, the 2022 census was delayed by a month this year due to concerns about the COVID-19 omicron surge, according to a Thurston County news release.

This year’s count occurred on Feb. 24 and tallied 56 people staying in transitional housing and 294 people in emergency shelters.

More than half the people counted were experiencing unsheltered homelessness — 416 people were found staying in sanctioned and unsanctioned encampments, RVs, other vehicles, small structures and doorways, as well as in several other places and situations not meant for human habitation.

The preliminary data reports for people living in shelters and transitional housing programs were recorded in the County’s Homeless Management Information System.



“Thurston County continues to prioritize understanding the needs of unsheltered and unstably housed residents to build an effective response,” said Keylee Marineau, Thurston County homeless response program manager, in a news release. “It is through collaborative efforts such as the PIT that we can hopefully gain perspective of who in our county is experiencing homelessness and why. We all want to find solutions, and we cannot do that without hearing from those who are most in need of it.”

The preliminary data show a decrease in Thurston County homeless households when contrasted with last year’s final count.

This may be because the 2021 census was based solely on observation, with no surveys conducted, according to the release.

And even though an abbreviated survey was conducted this year, many households chose not to participate.

Common factors typically found in decreased data trends on the matter are when folks decline to participate or are not present at their camp or place of residence when enumerators are deployed. Cold and freezing weather are also typical factors in decreased data being reported.