Snohomish County sees slight decrease in homelessness throughout region in 2024

(The Center Square) – Snohomish County has released its 2024 Point-In-Time count, revealing a 9.7% decrease in homelessness throughout the region.

The data shows 1,161 people residing in some form of shelter, transitional housing, or living without shelter in Snohomish County the night of Jan. 22.

Last year, the county tallied 1,285 people residing in shelter, transitional housing, or homeless in Snohomish County. That was the highest number since the county began recording in 2012.

“Recent investments have significantly expanded our community’s ability to provide timely, effective supportive services and affordable housing solutions,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in a statement . “This year’s count affirms our commitment to addressing homelessness comprehensively and emphasizes the need for sustained investment and close collaboration in the coming years.”

Last week, neighboring King County released its PIT count , which showed that the number of homeless in Washington’s most populated county was at an all-time high. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority conducted the count in January, with results showing 16,385 people experiencing homelessness in King County.

The 16,385 homeless people tallied by the agency is a 22.6% increase from the last point-in-time count conducted by the county in 2022, which found 13,368 homeless people in King County.

Both counties note that the PIT count is widely known to be an undercount of the actual number of unhoused people within a certain area.

While Snohomish County is not witnessing homelessness within its region at the same scale as King County, it has stated a portion of households are engaging with homeless services.

According to a press release, the county found that from February 2023 to February 2024, just over 5% of total households engaged with the county’s coordinated entry system for homeless services assistance.