Oregon Gov. Kotek extends emergency homelessness order for third year
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s emergency homelessness order will be in effect for the third consecutive year.
The governor’s office announced she had extended Emergency Order 24-02, now known as EO 25-01, on Thursday. The move pushes officials to continue their efforts resolving unsheltered homelessness statewide.
Kotek originally signed the executive order during her first day in office two years ago. She has extended it twice since then, citing the January 2023 Point-In-Time Count that showed Oregon’s homeless population has increased by at least 44% since 2017.
Federal data also points to Oregon having the second-highest percentage of unsheltered homeless residents nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 62% of homeless Oregonians were unsheltered — sleeping in places like parks, vehicles or streets — on a single night last January.
California was the highest-ranking state for unsheltered homelessness, at 66%. Both California and Oregon were among the places with the highest percentage of unsheltered, unaccompanied youth.
While the state’s homeless emergency has remained an issue, Kotek’s office said progress has been made since the beginning of her term. Officials reported that agencies have created 600 new low-barrier shelter beds, provided housing for 1,200 unsheltered households and prevented 8,750 households from becoming homeless.
The governor has also allocated more than $700 million toward homelessness initiatives in her proposed budget for the 2025-27 biennium.
“We must stay the course on what we see working,” Kotek said in a release. “If we keep at this pace, 1 in every 3 people who were experiencing homelessness in 2023 will be rehoused… But the urgency remains as homelessness continues to increase and we need to see this strategy through.”
The latest executive order will be in effect until Jan. 10, 2026, unless the governor chooses to terminate it beforehand or extend it.