Housing Access Remains at the Forefront of the Homelessness Crisis

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By Graywalls - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93007189


Homelessness remains at the forefront of Oregon’s policy concerns. This is especially pertinent given the context of the midterm elections, as homelessness sits as the top issue for a third of Portlanders. The situation seems to be getting worse. Recent data on homelessness also shows the issue intensifying in Multnomah County, with a 29% increase from January 2025 to January 2026. Increasing worries surrounding homelessness bring about questions surrounding housing access and how that has affected unhoused Oregonians.


Data collection on unhoused people in Oregon has massively improved in recent years. Though statistics are more accurate, the new collection method has contributed to spikes in Oregon compared to the rest of the country. This improved data collection has contributed to a better ability for local governments to coordinate with both shelters and unhoused people. In Central Oregon, this has led to a 20% decrease in the homeless population from 2025 to 2026. However, in Multnomah County, there has continued to be a sharp increase, even after the implementation of the new collection methods.


Data from a February 2025 study by BMC Health about housing assistance indicates that in 2023 less than one third of unhoused Oregonians received any form of housing assistance. Among those who did, “61% were on a housing waitlist in the past year” (Chung et al.). From this, it is evident that the current housing supply available to unhoused people is woefully inadequate in serving their needs. Better data collection and coordination cannot fully address this problem.


So, what can we do? All of this points to a need for further investment into accessible housing in order to reduce homelessness in Oregon. Advocacy works. Participating in coordinated informational campaigns can help spread the issue and raise its importance. Public pressure, both locally and federally, to improve access to housing is paramount for ensuring that the homelessness crisis can be mitigated. 

 

More Information:

https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/02/homelessness-declined-nationally-in-2025-not-in-oregon/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11847344/

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