Salem, Oregon – Oregon’s housing response is beginning to show measurable movement in places where the crisis has been especially visible. In Jackson County, unsheltered homelessness has fallen 24 percent, while chronic homelessness is down 58 percent. In Coos County, the drop in unsheltered homelessness is even larger — 40.9 percent.
Those local numbers are part of a broader statewide effort that Oregon officials say is moving thousands of people into shelter or permanent housing while keeping tens of thousands more from becoming homeless in the first place. The results were highlighted before the Oregon Legislature’s House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness.
“Whether you’re renting, buying a home for the first time, or needing temporary shelter to get back on your feet, we’re fighting to create more options for you,” Governor Tina Kotek said.
“Housing has been a priority since day one of my administration, and we’re seeing tangible progress.”
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Between January 2023 and September 2025, emergency housing actions resulted in 6,286 new or maintained shelter beds. Another 5,539 people were rehoused after experiencing unsheltered homelessness, while 25,942 households received assistance intended to prevent homelessness.
State efforts have centered on shelter capacity, rehousing services, long-term rent assistance and eviction prevention.
The impact differs by region. Jackson County has moved more than 1,000 families and individuals into permanent housing and shortened the average wait for housing by nearly three months. In Central Oregon, homelessness across three counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs declined 19.1 percent following investment in a coordinated regional system.
Coos County also reported an 85.5 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness among veterans and a 22.8 percent decline in homelessness overall.
“For years, communities like ours were asked whether these approaches work. Our experience over this biennium gives us an answer: when resources reached the ground at sufficient scale, the outcomes changed,” Coos Bay City Manager Nichole Rutherford said.
At the same time, Oregon is trying to increase the supply of housing itself. State figures show housing starts rose 11.3 percent year over year during the first half of 2026, while production nationally declined 1.3 percent. Oregon is now in its second consecutive year of increased housing starts, and state data place more than 50,000 future homes in the development pipeline.
Officials said continued investment remains important to maintaining shelter capacity, preventing evictions and expanding affordable housing as Oregon works to turn recent gains into longer-term stability.
