Point-In-Time Count: A Snapshot of the Methow

Okanogan County participated in the statewide annual effort to count the number of people identifying as homeless at one point in time (known as the PIT count). Room One was asked to lead the effort for the Methow Valley and we had active support from partners at the Methow Valley School District, the Cove, AeroMethow, and the Advance Recovery Navigator Program.

During the week of January 23-27, the staff at these organizations identified 31 unique individuals who were not living in safe or stable housing situations. For our small rural valley, over the course of just a few days, this is too many! Among the 31 were children, young adults, elders, couples, and families. Most often, given the winter conditions, people are doubled up (in ways that are not sustainable), living out of cars, or living in trailers that are not connected to power or water. The experience of homelessness looks different in rural areas - it is not visible as with tent cities of urban spaces. And it is also not an overwhelming number of people - if we get creative, we can find housing solutions that work for everyone.