Governor Tina Kotek poses for a portrait in the State Library of Oregon, Salem, Ore., Jan. 29, 2025.
Anna Lueck for OPB
Gov. Tina Kotek said on Thursday she would funnel $94 million to help older Oregonians find affordable housing.
The governor’s announcement comes shortly after the primary election, in which her Republican opponent, state Sen. Christine Drazan, is sure to highlight the lack of progress addressing the housing and homelessness crises in the state.
Starting next month, Kotek said, the state will spend $24 million to build new affordable homes for older individuals, invest $50 million to increase housing developments specifically targeting this demographic, spend $5 million for home repairs and renovations to help people stay in their homes and put another $15 million toward specifically rehousing unsheltered seniors.
The governor said the bulk of the funding will come from the 2025-27 legislatively adopted budget. About $15 million of it will come from a surplus fund the governor can tap using emergency powers.
Homelessness among Oregonians over the age of 65 has increased in recent years. About one in four homeless people in the state, or about 4,900, are believed to be older than the age of 55.
Kotek said her plan will help more than 420 unsheltered seniors, repair 1,000 homes and build more than 100 new homes, according to a press release from her office.
“Oregon is doubling down on programs that can deliver real impact for older adults who deserve to age in the communities they’ve called home for decades, near the friends and families they love,” Kotek said in a press release.
In the most recent legislative session, the governor pushed a bill that would have allowed cities to expand their urban growth boundaries to build more manufactured homes or housing for seniors.
In a press conference in downtown Portland on the waterfront, Drazan previewed some of her messaging against the governor. The two also faced each other in the gubernatorial race.
“In our last race, she promised an awful lot,” Drazan told reporters Thursday afternoon. “She promised to solve homelessness. She promised to build homes. She promised she would clean up our streets, and we know that is just not how it’s played out.”
