Oregon’s first statewide housing report paints grim portrait of affordability

Oregon’s first-ever “state of the state’s housing” report offers a grim picture of its housing landscape: home and rental prices continue to outpace wages, eviction cases are the highest they have been in more than a decade, and more than 20,000 people across the state were experiencing homelessness in 2023.

Some are being hit harder than others: Oregon ranks first in the nation for the most families with children who are living without shelter.

“The number of children experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the state (is) 14 times higher than the national average and nearly three times higher than Hawaii, the second-highest state,” the report released Thursday states.

And despite how unaffordable housing is now, the report notes, “buying a home for a white household today is still more affordable than it was for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) households back in 2018.” Communities of color’s homeownership rate is 49% compared to 66% for white Oregonians, according to the report.

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Since taking office in 2023, Gov. Tina Kotek has staked both her political future and her legacy on improving the state’s housing and homelessness crisis. Much of her administration’s energy has been poured into what the governor once declared a “man-made” and “humanitarian disaster.” Kotek has promised a significant increase in housing production goals up from the historical 22,000 units to 36,000 new housing units per year, an ease in permitting and a push to put hundreds more people into housing.

But the report from the Oregon Housing and Community Services agency, the state’s housing finance wing, makes clear there is much work to be done.

Roxy Mayer, a spokeswoman for the governor, said in an email that the report “describes a stark reality.”

“The governor believes that we cannot chart a path forward without being clear-eyed about where we are now,” Mayer said. “After decades of underbuilding, Oregonians face a housing affordability crisis that worsens homelessness and financially burdens too many Oregon families.”

Lawmakers kick off their six-month legislative session in early 2025 and housing is likely to still be a top priority. The governor will also release her recommended budget next month, which often serves as a guidepost for state lawmakers and a signal of her priorities.

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Here are some other takeaways taken from the housing report:

• Oregon saw a 21% population growth between 2004 and 2023, equaling more than 753,000 people. To keep pace with the growth, the state must add about 500,000 housing units in the next two decades.
• For every extra $1 Oregonians earned, the median sales price of a home increased by $7.10.
• Both renters and homeowners are significantly cost-burdened, and more than half of renters and one third of homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
• The state is approximately 128,000 affordable housing units short right now for people who are considered extremely low-income or very low-income.
• Many of the fastest-growing occupations in the state do not pay high enough wages for people to afford a one-bedroom apartment.
• Evictions are going up; the number of eviction cases filed in 2023 was the highest Oregon has seen since 2011.
• Oregon ranks third in the nation for people experiencing homelessness and first in the nation for unsheltered homelessness among families with children (when adjusted for population size).
• More than 20,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Oregon, with three in 10 considered chronically homeless as of 2023.
• Oregonians are facing the least affordable housing market since the pandemic began in 2020.