Homelessness down nearly 10% in Snohomish County, annual count shows

EVERETT — George Beard woke up last Wednesday in his 2004 Pontiac Trans Am parked in the Stanwood Public Library parking lot — just as he had for the past year.

But on this day, he saw something new: two “NO OVERNIGHT PARKING” signs. It was time to move.

Beard, 61, is one of more than a thousand people without permanent housing in Snohomish County. On Monday, the county’s human services department reported 1,161 people were unhoused, staying in shelters or living in temporary housing on the night of Jan. 22. Overall, the annual count was down 9.6% — or about 124 people — from last year. In late January 2023, the county surveyed 1,285 people, its highest unhoused population count since 2012.

An overwhelming majority of the homeless population sleeps in Everett, the county’s largest city and a hub for housing resources.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/homelessness-down-nearly-10-in-snohomish-county-annual-count-shows/