Oregon's County Poor Farms | Oregon Experience

By Kami Horton (OPB)

Oct. 23, 2023 11:10 p.m.

For decades, Oregon required counties to care for their indigent residents. Government-funded relief institutions – known as poor farms - provided food, shelter, and medical services throughout the state. Poor farms became a refuge for the elderly, people with disabilities, or anyone unable to care for themselves. However, the care varied widely. Some provided residents with a home, while others operated more like prisons. “Oregon’s County Poor Farms” examines this little-known history of how the state once cared for its poor.