Housing & Homelessness

Oregon governor explains how she wants to spend $130 million in homelessness money

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Lauren Dake

Published January 27, 2023 at 6:53 AM PST

Tina Kotek tours the sleeping pod areas at Arbor Lodge in North Portland in January 2022. Kotek says she had to pressure Multnomah County officials for these. “I was like, ‘buy the pods,’” she says. “The county was losing their mind.”

In her inauguration speech, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek told state lawmakers she wants $130 million dedicated to keeping people housed. Now she’s telling legislators exactly how she wants that money spent.

“Bold ideas, concrete solutions, disciplined follow through,” Kotek said in a written statement Thursday. “That’s how we can deliver results, this year, and in the years to follow.”

The governor believes the money should be spent to stave off homelessness for about 9,000 people and to expand shelter capacity by 600 beds within one year, among other things.

There are about 18,000 people believed to be experiencing homelessness in Oregon right now, with about 11,000 of those living without shelter, according to information from the governor’s office.

Here is a closer look at her proposal:

More details about Kotek’s plan — including where the money will come from, specific community groups that will receive it and whether state legislators will agree with her outline — aren’t clear yet.

Kotek will unveil her proposed two-year budget next week, likely fleshing out answers to some of these questions. The governor’s budget is not binding but often serves as a starting point for lawmakers who are responsible for actually balancing the budget and deciding how taxpayers’ dollars are spent. Kotek has made it clear that she agrees with those who have called for a more aggressive statewide response to addressing the housing crisis.

Members of the Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, have shown they are largely aligned with Kotek’s more aggressive approach to handling the housing crisis from a statewide level. Kotek has also called for the state to create 36,000 new housing units a year — up from about 22,000 created annually now. She has declared a homelessness state of emergency in some parts of the state, allowing more flexibility for the quicker building of housing and shelters.

A coalition of mayors from across the state, including Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, have been pressing the state to take a more active role.

Kotek said the $130 million package she’s pushing is only one piece of a much larger strategy to address the homelessness crisis.

“I am urging the legislature to take up this investment package as quickly as possible. Unsheltered Oregonians need relief now, and our local communities need the support to provide that relief,” the governor said in a statement.