PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – New data show how much Oregon has been impacted by the homelessness crisis since the start of the pandemic, and how we compare with the rest of the county.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the highest numbers of people unhoused from 2020 to 2022: nearly 18,000 in Oregon and more than 25,000 in Washington.
“Those are lists where you don’t want to rank near the top and seeing Oregon there was sad. I can’t say I was necessarily surprised, but it was really sad,” said Jon Seibert, director of programs at Blanchet House. “We know the issue has been getting worse for a few years and we’ve seen that reflected in our numbers, as well, and just anecdotally from what I see here on the ground.”
Drive around Portland and it’s hard to ignore the blocks lined with tents as the homelessness crisis becomes more severe. Now, data is also showing just how much this crisis continues to grow.
“Those numbers stayed really high through 2020, ’21, ’22,” Seibert said. “We just had our busiest month since we reopened indoor services, just last month in March, so while we only have the data through 2022, I’m concerned it probably won’t be much better once 2023 comes out.”
Among the states that saw the largest increases during those two years, Oregon came in fourth with an increase of around 3,300 people, up 22% compared to the year before.
Oregon and Washington saw the second and third largest increases in those experiencing chronic homelessness. For people in families with children experiencing homelessness, Oregon had the highest percentage of those unsheltered, living in spaces like tents.
It was a situation seen across the board, from Portland to Eugene to Clackamas County and rural central Oregon.
“A lot of it is a math problem. We have homelessness because we don’t have enough homes,” said Seibert.
But as daunting as those numbers appear, there’s also hope.
Oregon saw one of the biggest decreases in unaccompanied youth who are homeless. Non-profit Blanchet House in Portland works with the unhoused every day, providing everything from food to transitional housing programs, solutions they’re continuously looking to expand.
A few weeks ago, state lawmakers passed more than $200 million in funds for homelessness response and solutions like affordable housing. In a statement recognizing the federal report, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said, “house keys end homelessness and creating more homes will reduce housing costs and decrease the risk of homelessness in the state.”
“As opposed to pointing fingers at who’s doing what, let’s just work on solutions and making sure everyone has a way to have affordable housing, affordable food, affordable services,” said Seibert.
Blanchet House went on to say they are still optimistic the state can turn this around for the better, but it’ll take the continued efforts of agencies and people on the ground to make it happen.