Washington Gorge Action Programs has released its 2024 Community Needs Assessment showing while poverty in Klickitat and Skamania counties has been on the decline since 2015, rates are still higher than the rest of the state, and gaps in income inequality are increasing.  Administered every three to four years, the assessment updates demographics and tracks information related to the underlying causes of poverty.  711 people participated in Skamania and Klickitat counties.  The cost of living was over $110,000 for a family of four with two working adults, notably higher than the median income in either county.  Native American poverty levels are consistent in both counties at 25 percent, significantly higher than the county rates.  Child poverty level in Klickitat County is at 17 percent, which is ten points higher than in Skamania County.  Loneliness was highlighted in the report, with 53 percent of respondents noting that they feel socially isolated or experience loneliness at least some of the time, and 37 percent said they wanted help connecting with others.  One alarming statistic is that up to 26 percent of tenth and twelfth-grade students, and 31 percent of sixth-grade students, have seriously considered suicide since 2021.  These rates are about five percent higher than the state average.