In Oregon, sheltered homelessness increased 24% between January 2023 and January 2024, according to a new report by Portland State University’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC). This appears to be the largest increase since detailed statewide reporting started in 2007. The report details findings from the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which is a census of people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night in January.
The federal government requires the PIT count as a condition of funding to agencies and providers managing homelessness services known as Continuums of Care (CoCs). Oregon has eight CoCs across the state. While the PIT count isn’t a complete look at homelessness in the state, it can offer a snapshot and insight into the state of homelessness. The 2024 PIT count includes sheltered data, but many counties in Oregon do not have a total of unsheltered homelessness because CoCs are only required to submit unsheltered data in odd-numbered years. For the purposes of the PIT count “sheltered” is defined as people living in an emergency shelter or transitional housing and “unsheltered” is defined as a space not intended for human habitation like a sidewalk or vehicle.
Report link: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/hrac_pub/49/
Key findings include:
- Among CoCs that conducted unsheltered counts in both 2023 and 2024, overall unsheltered homelessness increased 16%, from 7,217 to 8,403 individuals.
- Between 2023 and 2024, 2,455 year-round shelter beds were added across the state — a 32% increase in capacity — reaching a total of 10,408 year-round beds.
- Overall, 21 of Oregon’s 36 counties increased total (year-round plus seasonal/overflow) year-round shelter capacity, with major increases in Multnomah, Washington, Marion, Lane, Lincoln, and Deschutes counties.
- Oregonians who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous; Black, African American, or African; or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander continue to experience homelessness at much higher rates than their proportion of the overall population.
“These numbers show a major increase in shelter capacity during 2023, which is an important step forward in providing temporary assistance to people who are unhoused. However, we also need to make significant progress in addressing our housing crisis to ensure that we can end homelessness for people who are in emergency shelters and prevent others from being pushed into homelessness,” said Jacen Greene, HRAC assistant director. “While we lack a complete picture of unsheltered homelessness across Oregon in 2024, the 2025 PIT Count this week will include unsheltered counts from every CoC in the state.”
In 2024, the number of year-round shelter beds increased significantly — 2,455 beds were added statewide resulting in a 32% increase in the number of available beds for a total of 10,408. Multnomah County added 671 new shelter beds, the most of any county, equating to a 21% increase in shelter capacity. Washington County added 368 beds, which increased capacity by 82%; Marion County added 278 beds increasing capacity by 34%; Lane County added 313 beds, adding 35% capacity; and Lincoln County added 257 beds increasing shelter capacity by 1,070% as compared to 2023 levels. However, these increases were not enough to provide a shelter bed for everyone experiencing homelessness in the state of Oregon.
"With substantial state investment and new coordinated systems, we have expanded Oregon's shelter capacity and blunted the crisis on our streets," said Governor Tina Kotek. "This is just the beginning. We still need an all hands on deck urgency to meet this moment, and I will not be satisfied until every Oregonian knows where they are going to sleep at night."
“We do not accept homelessness as a fact of life. While we’ve made collective strides to increase shelter capacity, much more is needed to ensure that people in Oregon have a place to call home,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “Through the lens of humanity and urgency, we must continue investing in solutions that boost housing supply for individuals and families.”
The report includes new estimates of doubled-up homelessness across all ages in Oregon, which is not historically included in homelessness count data. Doubled-up homelessness describes individuals who are staying in another person’s home due to a loss of housing or financial necessity. The PIT count doesn’t capture this group, but the report utilized American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau that identifies individuals who are likely doubled up based on the household’s income level and if the individual’s relationship to the head of household indicates they may not be a permanent member of the household.
In July 2022 (the most recent year with doubled-up data), an estimated 25,758 people in Oregon experienced doubled-up homelessness. This number suggests that in 2022 — which saw 17,912 people statewide experiencing homelessness — there may have been nearly 44,000 Oregonians experiencing some form of homelessness.
“Doubled-up homelessness is left out of the PIT Count, but can still have negative impacts, especially on children,” Greene said. “This estimate helps us better understand the true extent of homelessness across Oregon and the current size of our housing shortage.”
Data was also collected documenting the number of K-12 students in Oregon who experienced some form of homelessness in the 2023-24 school year. There were 22,072 students, about 4% of students across the state, who experienced homelessness in that school year. This data is part of mandated reporting by the U.S. Department of Education and includes students experiencing unsheltered or sheltered homelessness, as well as students sharing a living space due to economic hardship. The number of reported students is the highest recorded rate in the last 12 years, with the largest number of students experiencing homelessness in Multnomah and Washington counties, and the highest rates in Wheeler, Gilliam and Lincoln counties.
The report also indicates that Oregon needs approximately 100,000 additional housing units to address current needs, 50,000 of which are needed for people experiencing homelessness. Oregon continues to have one of the highest rates of cost burdens for renters in the country, where 78% of renters with extremely low incomes pay 50% or more of their income toward rent and more than 50% of all renters across the state pay at least 30% of their income in rent.