Oregon’s Homelessness Crisis Shows Measurable Improvement in New State Count

Recent state data indicate that Oregon’s unsheltered homelessness, in comparable year-to-year counts, has reduced by 6.4%.

Unsheltered Homelessness in Oregon Declines

A new analysis of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates of homelessness shows Oregon’s emergency focus on addressing unsheltered homelessness is making significant progress towards reducing unsheltered homelessness.

Counts included 35 Oregon counties where data collection and reporting have not substantially changed from 2024 to 2025, including Multnomah County, despite recent changes to the county’s Point-in-Time (PIT) count.

The county shifted to a by-name list (BNL), in which each individual is tracked, improving the quality of its HUD-reported unsheltered count, but the county’s numbers cannot be reliably compared to previous years.

Oregon’s unsheltered homelessness has reduced as follows:

• Unsheltered homelessness: -6.4%
• Unsheltered homeless veterans: -7%
• Chronically homeless individuals: -7.2%
• Unsheltered homeless individuals: -8.1%
• Unsheltered chronically homeless people in families: -18.2%
• Unsheltered chronically homeless individuals: -20.9%

Governor Tina Kotek said, “This data shows we are beginning to turn the tide.”

The Governor’s emergency actions between January 2023 and September 2025 delivered 6,286 new and maintained shelter beds, rehoused 5,539 people from unsheltered homelessness, and provided prevention assistance to 25,942 households.