Central Oregon has posted its first decline in homelessness in five years, with 1,800 people moving into permanent housing this year as the region recorded a 19.1 percent reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
The Homeless Leadership Coalition delivered the latest regional numbers last week before the House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness, detailing a shift from several years of rapidly increasing homelessness to a year in which the overall count moved downward.
The decline follows an extended period in which Central Oregon communities struggled with rising numbers of people living without shelter, including children and families. Since 2022, the region has experienced some of the highest rates of unsheltered youth and family homelessness in the nation, while local organizations worked with limited shelter space, services and regional infrastructure.
State funding expanded those efforts, allowing cities, counties, nonprofit organizations, churches and community providers to increase shelter and housing services while developing a broader regional network for moving people from homelessness into permanent housing.
This year, 1,800 people made that move.
The result was a 19.1 percent decline across Central Oregon and the first regional decrease reported in five years. Before the turnaround, homelessness in the region had climbed dramatically, including periods when increases exceeded 89 percent annually, according to information presented to the committee.
“This is what we want to see: our state investments making an impact and housing people in our communities,” committee chair Rep. Pam Marsh said. “I am enormously grateful to the local organizations, cities and counties, nonprofits, churches, and community volunteers who sustain these services and take care of our neighbors.”
The figures presented in Salem also placed continued shelter funding before legislators as Oregon begins looking toward future spending decisions. The Statewide Shelter Program supports shelter operations and services used by communities working with people who remain unhoused while permanent placements are pursued.
Rep. Emerson Levy said Central Oregon’s reduction has been accompanied by continued demand for shelter and services, particularly among younger residents.
“Central Oregon has seen tangible results, including a 19% reduction in homelessness in our region,” Levy said. “Maintaining support for shelter and services through the Statewide Shelter Program is vital to preserving these gains and ensuring communities can continue responding effectively to local needs.”
Children and teenagers remain part of that concern. Central Oregon’s experience with unsheltered youth and family homelessness has been one of the more difficult elements of the region’s housing crisis, putting pressure on shelters and organizations serving families while permanent housing is located.
Rep. Jason Kropf said the housing numbers reflect work being carried out locally after state money reaches Central Oregon.
“We are continuing to see progress on tackling homelessness in Central Oregon,” Kropf said. “We owe that progress to the people and non-profits in our communities who turn our state investments into more people housed.”
The latest count does not mean homelessness has disappeared from Central Oregon. Shelters and service organizations continue working with people without permanent housing, and the region continues to face demand from families, children and adults needing shelter and assistance.
What changed this year can be counted: 1,800 people entered permanent housing, and Central Oregon’s homeless population fell 19.1 percent after five consecutive years without a decline.