Tenant Evictions in Portland, OR Largely Increasing the Number of People Living on the Streets

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A staggering number of people living in the Portland metro area are facing the real threat of homelessness after the eviction safeguards during Covid-19 have expired.  Many social workers and local homeless family services operating in Portland believe the most effective way to keep people off the street is to actively prevent them from losing their homes in the first place.  With a crisis of affordable housing and soaring rent prices all over the Portland metro area, many tenants are simply being priced out of their apartments and homes. Tenants being unable able to keep up with high rent prices and increases are becoming more commonplace, as many face eviction from their landlords and property owners. Sadly, these evictions have been rapidly increasing since the Covid-19 protections have been lifted, resulting in many individuals and families finding themselves homeless and living on the streets. 

With more and more renters affected by the threat and potential reality of being homeless, this epidemic has become much more relatable to many people living in Portland.  What was once viewed as a social problem for “those types of people” has become an issue for a larger percentage of the population who never imagined they would be in that situation themselves. The stigma of being homeless and the “us vs. them” mentality when dealing with this issue has been changing recently, as more and more people in the Portland area are facing the real threat of becoming homeless due to rising rent prices and evictions.

Many people grappling with this issue have been reaching out to nonprofits and agencies that provide programs such as emergency rent assistance.  “The spike is largely due to the expiration of statewide tenant protections on Sept. 30, 2022.  The so-called “safe harbor” protections barred landlords from evicting tenants for not paying rent if residents proved they had applied for rental assistance.   A provision that extended the termination notice period from 72 hours to 10 days also expired at that same time” (Camhi, 2023).  With the eviction safeguards coming to an end, the rise of inflation, and the severe shortage of affordable housing in a city with a high cost of living, the correlation between evictions and homelessness in Portland has been steadily increasing. 

“Another problem for homelessness and eviction programs in the Portland area is that there are simply not enough resources to fill the need long-term.  The partnership between Multnomah County and community organizations is operating on a smaller budget this fiscal year.  And a lot of that money can be sourced back to one-time, emergency state or federal funds related to the pandemic.  But more resources could be coming soon from the state.  Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s proposed budget includes $73 million for long term homelessness prevention programs statewide” (Camhi, 2023). 

While this issue continues to be problematic for many living in Portland, there are agencies and programs to reach out to if you need help.  Path Home is a homeless family service nonprofit that serves the Portland area along with Multnomah County’s Rental Assistance programs, and the Department of County Human Services.  Relief and hardship programs are also available to apply for emergency assistance such as needhelppayingbills.com.  There are also organizations that advocate for renter’s rights and protections to fight evictions such as the Community Alliance of Tenants and Portland Tenants United.  

This is a real problem facing our city and its time we all act accordingly.  Instead of looking down on our vulnerable people in need, we need to show real empathy and do everything in our power to address this crisis head on.  This is a situation most people could find themselves in one day. The majority of us are all one emergency event or catastrophe away from becoming vulnerable ourselves.

-Jeff McGee

 

 

 

References:

 

 

Eviction prevention programs bring stability to those on the brink

 Camhi

 https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/27/eviction-prevention-programs-homelessness-portland-oregon/

 

 

Tenant Advocates Urge Oregon Legislature to Strengthen Rent Control After Record Inflation

Garcia

 https://www.portlandmercury.com/Housing/2023/03/28/46427039/tenant-advocates-urge-oregon-legislature-to-strengthen-rent-control-after-record-inflation

 

 

Stop Harassment Prevent Houselessness

https://www.pdxtu.org/stop_harassment_prevent_houselessness

 

 

 

Resources:

 

https://www.path-home.org/

 

https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/

 

https://www.pdxtu.org/

 

https://joinpdx.org/landlord/

 

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