The number of homeless men, women and children in Multnomah County stayed consistent between 2013 and 2015 despite -- or maybe because of -- renewed attention by city and county leaders.

The results of the biannual "point in time count," a one-night snapshot of homelessness required by the federal government, show a drop of more than 600 people counted in Portland, Gresham and unincorporated Multnomah County.

How many homeless?

The 2015 point-in-time count, conducted on Jan. 28, identified

3,801

people who fit the federal housing department's definition of homeless -- meaning they're outside, in shelters or in transitional housing. Experts say the true number any given night in Multnomah County is

16,000 or more

-- the federal definition does not include, for example, people doubled up with family or friends.

But that dip is largely the result of changes in the way the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines "homeless," according to the explanation in the county's biannual report. And the total number of "unsheltered" People counted during the Jan. 28 tabulation, defined as those sleeping outdoors, in a car, tent, doorway or abandoned building, shrank by less than 1 percent.

More troublingly, unsheltered homelessness appeared to jump among women, people of color and families. The reasons are largely economic.

Although the recession has ended, unemployment remains high among jobs that don't require much education, and wages for low-skill jobs have actually dropped when adjusted for inflation. At the same time, housing prices have skyrocketed in the Portland market, resulting in a deficit of almost 25,000 affordable units in Multnomah County and as many as 40,000 in the region.

African Americans make up 7 percent of the county's total population, but almost a quarter of this year's homeless people count.

Where are the homeless? Downtown Portland, 28 percent SE Portland (Willamette River to 82nd Avenue), 19 percent NE Portland (Willamette River to 82nd Avenue), 13 percent North Portland, 6 percent NW Portland, 8 percent SW Portland (outside downtown), 8 percent Outer East Portland (82nd to 182nd avenues), 8 percent Gresham and East County, 11 percent

Yet the trends are even worse elsewhere; the number of people counted sleeping outdoors or the equivalent in King County, Wash., jumped 21 percent between 2013 and 2015 point-in-time counts. The total homeless population in Los Angeles grew by 12 percent from the 2013 to the 2015 count there.

It's important to note that the point in time counts, although the single best statistical tool for analyzing homelessness, are a narrowly focused snapshot rather than a panorama. They track shelter capacity and visible homelessness -- people found on the streets by outreach workers and other census-takers and willing to give a few bare details about their lives -- but do not include people couch surfing or doubled up with friends or family.

Who is homeless? 41 percent people of color 17 percent families with children 31 percent women 12 percent military veterans 57 percent had disabling conditions 46 percent chronically homeless

The 2015 point-in-time count identified 3,801 people who met the federal housing agency's definition of homeless in Multnomah County. The actual number of homeless people here, if the definition broadens to include people doubling up, is likely more than 16,000, according to the report, written by consultant Kristina Smock. She's analyzed the results of the last four point-in-time counts.

What's the answer? A combination of approaches that include more services for people who are already homeless but also "a broad strategy to prevent new homelessness by expanding economic opportunities, increasing the supply of affordable housing and equipping people to move out of poverty," Smock wrote.

That's precisely the approach being pushed by A Home for Everyone, a committee of activists, bureaucrats and elected officials that spent a year studying homelessness in Multnomah County.

They came to the conclusion that homelessness in the Portland region is, in some ways, akin to an overflowing bathtub. Solving the crisis requires a three-pronged approach: bailing out the tub, by providing more emergency spaces for people already on the streets; unplugging the drain, by eliminating backlogs in transitional and permanent housing supplies; and turning off the tap by helping people who might be one lost paycheck from homelessness find jobs, pay the rent, and develop new workforce-friendly skills.

Read the series

For more background homelessness problem, stories of people who are living on the streets or recently got inside and tips on how to help, read

.

The big question is money. A Home for Everyone has recommended spending $33 million in new money over the next two years -- and analysts with Multnomah County and the Portland Housing Bureau say that kind of investment will, if the economy stays at its current level, cut the county's unmet housing need in half. Mayor Charlie Hales and County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury put a combined $12 million toward homelessness in their 2015-16 budgets. The private sector could also help pay for expanded services: Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon's third-largest charitable foundation, has a representative on the A Home for Everyone executive committee.

City and county leaders say that kind of spending is just a start, however. A consortium of advocacy groups and nonprofits called the Welcome Home Coalition, says the Portland region needs to spend $50 million a year for the net two decades to eliminate its affordable housing deficit.

We know that what we're doing right now is not going to be enough," Kafoury said. "This will help and put us on the right path, but the problems are too big for a one-time infusion."

Government also needs more help from the private sector and the general public, Hales said.

"If you're a church, can you start sheltering a couple of families in your church building? Can you help with sponsoring an AA or a NA chapter? If you're a landlord, will you please take a Section 8 voucher or a voucher from the VA?" he said. "I know it's a hot rental market and you have plenty of choices of whom to went to, but if you want to help the community, this is a great way to do it and make money in the process."

-- Anna Griffin

(503) 412-7053; @annargriff