For the second consecutive year, 824 homeless or unstably housed young people ages 12 to 25 were identified during Count Us In, an annual youth specific, point-in-time count counducted in King County on Jan. 27.

This number includes 131 young people who were unsheltered at the time of the count, compared to 133 last year.

“The stability of these numbers is a testament to the work our community has done to identify and support homeless youth, but our work is not done,” said Mark Putnam, director of All Home which conducted the count. “Homelessness in King County is in a state of emergency and every homeless young person we help today is one less at risk of becoming a homeless adult.”

Count Us In occurs alongside the community’s One Night Count, an annual point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness. Survey data is collected at more than 70 sites throughout Seattle-King County and supplemented by data from the regional Homeless Management Information System.

In addition to defining the scope of youth homelessness in King County, Count Us In results paint a clear picture of who these young people are and where they come from. Homeless or unstably housed youth and young adults were identified in nearly every ZIP code in the county. They are disproportionately lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (27 percent) and youth of color (53 percent).

Nearly a quarter (22 percent) of youth surveyed have been in foster care, 38 percent are enrolled in school, and roughly half (49 percent) have encountered the criminal justice system.