Homelessness

Here in Sandy, we have single adults, couples, and even families who are experiencing homelessness. Though it may not be as visible on the surface, many children are also experiencing and dealing with the impacts of homelessness in our community. 

During the 2019-2020 school year, there were 75 homeless children enrolled in the K-12 Oregon Trail School District. 

Of those students: 

• 56 are living in “doubled-up” situations (i.e., their family is staying with another family) 
• 14 are unsheltered (i.e., living in a car, camping, or other place not meant for human habitation)
• The remaining 5 are living either in shelters or hotel/motel
• Of the total homeless students, 8 are unaccompanied

To learn more about the impacts of homelessness on children, please visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness's page on children and families. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.

Relevant definitions according to the National Center for Homeless Education and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act:

A student is considered homeless if he lacks fixed, regular, and adequate housing. This is broader than just living “on the street.” 

It includes temporarily living with other people because he had nowhere else to go; living in substandard housing (if it doesn’t meet local building codes or the utilities are turned off, it is generally not adequate); living in emergency or transitional shelters, for example, trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after disasters; or living in motels, camping grounds, cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or any public or private place not designed for humans to live in. 

A student living in any of these situations and fleeing an abusive parent may be considered homeless even if the parent would provide support and a place to live.

A student is considered “unaccompanied” when they are not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

Clackamas County conducts an “homelessness count” every two years to help communities understand the current state of homelessness throughout the county. 

COVID-19 has presented difficulties in getting an accurate count for 2020, but looking at the January 2019 count tells us that:

• The number of people experiencing homelessness within Clackamas County was 1,166, a 9% increase from 2017
• Of this count, 48 adults were recorded here in Sandy
• There was a significant decrease in the number of unsheltered people counted, likely because Clackamas County operated more warming shelters during the winter of 2018-19. (The count includes anyone who doesn’t have permanent, stable housing.)
• Even with the decrease in unsheltered count, our county has still seen a 48% increase in how many people are struggling with chronic homelessness since the 2017 count.

Some facts about the current situation of homelessness in our county:

• Unaffordable rent, unemployment, eviction, interpersonal conflict (such as domestic violence) and mental or emotional health issues were the most common problems faced by those who told us what caused them to leave their last living arrangement
• People of color are disproportionately experiencing homelessness in our county
• The majority of those surveyed have been Clackamas County residents for two or more years, and primarily live in Oregon City, Clackamas, Molalla, Milwaukie, Sandy, Estacada or Canby