The Annual Point-in-Time Count of sheltered and unsheltered Island County residents takes place the last week of January. Each year HUD and WA Dept. of Commerce mandate the count for funding and allocation of resources.
Emily Wildeman is the Housing Program Manager in Island County. Her department has prepared a draft Local Homeless Housing Plan for 2025-2030. Public comments are welcome until Feb. 13. Visit the Housing Support Center to learn about resources that support the community. On its site under ‘What we do,’ we learn: “The Housing Support Center is the first stop for individuals or families who are struggling with homelessness or at risk of losing their housing. Housing Navigators will assess your needs and efficiently refer you to the most appropriate program among the network of homeless and housing providers as quickly as possible.” Call 360-678-8284 Monday-Thursday between 9 AM and 3 PM for an appointment.
Under the plans’s visions goals and objectives we learn: “Like Washington State’s Department of Commerce, Island County shares the core value that everyone deserves to be housed. Food, shelter and water are the fundamental needs that all people require to survive and grow from. Shelter aka housing has become a more and more challenging need to meet. Since the last plan was written in 2019, a global pandemic occurred changing people’s lives, communities and resources. The cost of living especially housing has gone up dramatically. A Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Study showed that 48.9% of Oak Harbor renters are rent burdened, paying over 30% of their income towards rent. Almost 20% are severely cost burdened meaning they pay over 50% of their income towards rent. This has led to an increase of households who are one crisis away from becoming unhoused. In writing this plan, Island County hopes to put forth some concrete steps to take in the next 5 years to address the needs of the unhoused in our community and prevent more households from falling into homelessness.”
Results from the 2025 Point in Time Count. According to the January 2025 Snapshot of Homelessness in Washington State, Island County has 1,229 homeless or unstably housed people. Sheltered residents include those housed in emergency shelters, transitional housing and safe havens.
Volunteers joined the Whidbey Homeless Coalition Jan. 29 for the 2026 Point in Time Count. The event included food prepared by volunteers at the Langley Island Church who run a soup kitchen Tuesdays and Thursdays. Snacks, warm clothing and personal hygiene supplies were given to visitors.
Meanwhile, at the Island Church of Whidbey, Spring Roehm of Salon Spring gave free hair salon treatments.
Island County is preparing its Comprehensive Plan for 2026, which anticipates how to govern resources for the next 20 years. One part of the plan is the Housing Element, which states that while there are nearly 43,000 housing units as of 2023, 16 percent of housing units in Island County are vacant, which is double the vacancy rate for Washington State.”
The Current Affordable Housing Market report notes that: “Over the past 3 years, we have seen an increasingly expensive rental housing market. Since the pandemic ended and the eviction moratorium ended, we have seen rents increase steadily, deposits increase as a result of these higher rents and growing demand for affordable rentals. This in turn has led to more households being cost burdened. HUD defines cost burdened as paying more than 30 percent of a household’s income to rent. Households paying over 50 percent of their income to rent are considered severely cost burdened. This burden is being felt throughout the United States. In a recent report titled Deteriorating Rental Affordability, An Update on America’s Rental Housing 2024 it was reported that in recent years there has been “worsening affordability challenges for renters at every level of household income…” In addition, this report found that 83 percent of renters earning under $30,000 were cost burdened in 2023, and 67 percent were severely cost burdened. Here in Island County, the number of households who are cost burdened has jumped from about 35 percent of households to 52 percent of households over the last 10 years. On Camano Island and in Central and South Whidbey there has also been an increase in severely cost burdened households.
Please submit comments by February 9. Visit the Island County Comprehensive Plan website.