YAKIMA, Wash. -- Homelessness in Yakima County appears to have increased dramatically since last year, but those who study it say much of the increase is due to better counting methods.

The Homeless Network of Yakima County counted 1,314 homeless people Jan. 29 during its fifth annual Point In Time snapshot survey, which was released today.

That’s a 24.5 percent increase from the 1,055 counted in a single day last January.

The county’s housing and homeless program manager, Tim Sullivan, attributed some of that increase to the slumping economy. But some of it, particularly the increase in the more rural Lower Yakima Valley, is a function of better counting, he said.

According to the study, this year there were 879 homeless people in the Lower Valley compared to 586 last year. The Upper Valley actually saw a decrease from 469 to 435.

“We’re just doing a lot better job of counting rural homeless,” Sullivan told the county commissioners Tuesday, as he presented this year’s findings.

- Pat Muir