County's homeless count soars

The annual Point in Time homeless census count conducted in Mason County on Jan. 27 tallied 477 individuals, nearly double last year's number.

Of those 477 homeless people, 21 slept the night of Jan. 26 in RVs and boats; eight in abandoned buildings; 106 in vehicles; 158 outdoors; and 184 in shelters and transitional housing, said Tanya Frazier, the executive director of the nonprofit Crossroads Housing in Shelton.

Last year's February count, which included the shelter numbers, noted 186 households, or 254 people, she said. For counting purposes, a household is considered a group of homeless p...