Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell has been named to a 22-member national task force on youth homelessness.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) appointed Bethell in September to its Youth Housing and Homelessness Task Force, the county announced Sept. 30. She is the only Oregon representative on the task force, according to the county's announcement.

The appointment comes as homelessness continues to grow locally. The 2025 Point-in-Time count found 2,154 people without stable housing across Marion and Polk counties, the highest total ever recorded, according to a November 2025 Salem Business Journal report. Nearly half of those surveyed said they were experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Bethell said she looks forward to "bringing back ideas that will help us reach our local youth facing housing challenges."

Nationally, more than 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness each year, according to NACo. Between 31% and 46% of young people who exit foster care experience homelessness by age 26.

NACo President George Dunlap, a Mecklenburg County, N.C., commissioner, created the task force as part of his Building Better Futures initiative. He appointed all 22 members in September. Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Warren County, Ohio, Commissioner Shannon Jones co-chair the group.

The task force will meet from October 2026 through July 2027. Three in-person sessions are planned: Mecklenburg County, N.C., in December; Washington, D.C., in February; and Chatham County, Ga., in July, according to NACo's task force page. The group will present its findings at the 2027 NACo Annual Conference.

Counties play a role at critical transition points for young people, including when youth leave foster care, complete juvenile justice programs, or exit behavioral health placements, according to NACo's task force description.

A 2024 study commissioned by the City of Salem found the city spent $23.7 million addressing homelessness in 2023. That matters here. Roughly $10.3 million went to indirect costs such as police calls, emergency response and public-space cleanup, according to the Salem Business Journal report.

Residents can contact Bethell's office at [email protected] or 503-588-5212.