Five-Year Homeless Plan

According to Washington State Department of Commerce guidelines, San Juan County Health & Community Services has a Five-Year Homeless Plan. This plan provides goals, strategies, activities, performance measures and timelines to eliminate homelessness within the entire county. Washington state law requires that each local homeless housing task force develop and recommend a five-year local homeless housing plan for its area to its local government legislative authority. For San Juan County, the homeless housing task force updates its plan and recommends it be adopted by County Council.

2019 5-Year Homeless Plan

The County Council adopted a Five-Year Homeless Plan for the County on October 28, 2019 which may be viewed here: 2019-2024 San Juan County Five-Year Homeless Plan

2025 5-Year Homeless Plan

The County plans to adopt an updated Homeless Plan by December 2025, and there are still ways to participate. Local individuals or stakeholder organizations with relevant experience are encouraged to provide feedback and insight on the plan update. 

If you or your organization is interested, please contact Ryan Page at ryanp@sanjuancountywa.gov or 360-370-0590 for more information.

Point in Time Count

Every year, San Juan County conducts, with the assistance of numerous volunteers, the annual Point in Time Count of people experiencing homeless in the county.

The one-night PIT Count is, by definition, variable, and in San Juan County can fluctuate greatly from year to year.  The annual count represents a snapshot, and the true number of households unstably housed in our community is higher than the number of households surveyed. San Juan County has prioritized consistency in its PIT methodology as part of SJC’s Five-Year Homeless Plan, and is currently in the process of updating that five-year plan.

The count was initiated by the State of Washington in 2005, and the Washington State Department of Commerce oversees the count statewide. The first San Juan County count, conducted in 2005, counted 21 homeless or at risk of homelessness. The numbers have varied with an overall upward trend since then.

PIT count organizers and volunteers work with local family resource centers, food banks, churches, healthcare providers, senior centers, libraries, the sheriff’s office, schools and pre-schools, and many other community support service providers to conduct the count. 

The information collected during the PIT plays a pivotal role in informing policymakers at the local, state, and national levels. This data is sent to the Washington State Department of Commerce and the HUD, giving them a snapshot of San Juan County residents experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. This invaluable information helps:

• Secure millions of dollars in funding for vital resources, including affordable housing
• Inform policy at the local, state, and national levels
• Guide local resource allocation and planning
• Drive advocacy efforts

If you are interested in volunteeringg in next year’s PIT count and survey or working on the update to the County’s Five-Year Homeless Plan, please call 360-378-4474 to learn more.