[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6222519,"mediaKeyId","3593428-3b50c528c7532afb0dc32f9959d0615e","parentId",3593428,"title","Panel: Eviction filings at record highs in Oregon; legal aid and rent assistance credited with preventing homelessness","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2122000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593428-3b50c528c7532afb0dc32f9959d0615e&start=2122&end=2122","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593428-3b50c528c7532afb0dc32f9959d0615e/thumbnail_2122000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6222519/Oregon/Panel-Eviction-filings-at-record-highs-in-Oregon-legal-aid-and-rent-assistance-credited-with-preventing-homelessness","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222519-5219a15bd8b99293f5e2b2e7343c7aa2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775803132&Signature=knqsmeIlFb2P5QRjRFmaSLvI4RAkG0VJCDigDljUDQmYA0UBIIz44wXOeJEMaQiH7UtvCumwrMjo0UcAmD86JeL03-IKNbnCFM3s9k4fraOw9-AKFVwnqpFNQeM15BZUHShoWXMIg2XCgact3qDc6RXUZJqEJIlNKu5Kw5lplt8V6K0nOoBkU7oq~yhtj2H41F9XgsIGUEEKr3LXUieh8xtRaJ7M4SaeqR2muWEYfmA8yLGUaaoGQ90uEy~gHz7JpIReShUYarMKWV7YHhX2IqnuVQtMRq7rA4~SV42zgb6ZG3pUo7EVPr36uWRLQjTmSZndGgOaUGC7JlZo~2QgNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon Legislature","date","2025-05-28T00:00:00Z","article","At an informational hearing on May 28, the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness heard from legal aid and housing providers about recent eviction trends in Oregon and the role of prevention programs.

Sybil Hebb, director at the Oregon Law Center, told the committee that \"in 2024, we've reached an uncomfortable milestone of having the most evictions ever filed in Oregon,\" and that more than 27,000 eviction actions were filed statewide last year, about 87% for nonpayment of rent. Hebb said filings averaged slightly more than 2,200 per month in 2024 and that filings in the first five months of 2025 were running a bit higher, at over 2,300 per month.

Hebb described the scale of housing cost burden in the state and who it affects. \"One in four households have rents that cost more than 50% of their income,\" she said, and noted that cost burden is spreading into middle‑income categories that previously were less affected. She also said the presence of a child in a household is a significant risk factor for eviction and that eviction rates for Black women are roughly double those for white households.

Speakers described the effectiveness of prevention. The Oregon Law Center's Eviction Defense Project reported contact with about 10,000 households facing eviction in the past year; in cases where tenants received both legal assistance and rent assistance, Hebb said housing was retained in 91% of cases, compared with a 51% retention rate in nonpayment cases overall. Mid Willamette Valley Community Action reported preventing 786 evictions last year, helping about 1,891 people at an average cost of $1,180 per person.

Kemp Shuey, executive director of Community Action serving Washington County, described the agency's experience scaling eviction prevention since 2020: \"By the end of the summer of 2020, community action was serving nearly 500 households per month,\" he said, and reported that Community Action has distributed over $57,000,000 in eviction prevention assistance and helped prevent eviction for more than 7,500 households since 2020. Shuey said more than 90% of households served in recent months received assistance as a one‑time intervention.

Jonathan Clay, with Multifamily Northwest, said housing providers support continued rental assistance and eviction prevention funding and urged expansion of in‑person RentWell training to help renters maintain tenancies. Clay said the RentWell ask would be $1,500,000 to expand in‑person programming.

Committee members asked for more details on noncourt displacement (residents leaving after notices that do not result in court filings) and on the employment status of tenants facing eviction. Hebb said available research suggests informal departures may amount to two to five times the number of court filings, but there is no public registry tracking notices. On employment, Hebb said the majority of tenants seeking assistance are employed in some capacity, though wages often do not keep pace with rent.

Panelists urged continued and stable funding for rental assistance and legal aid to prevent displacement and reduce costs associated with homelessness. Several witnesses encouraged the committee to include support for eviction prevention in budget bills and for ongoing training and outreach to reduce future evictions.

The committee asked witnesses to provide any additional data they can on repeat requests for assistance, informal notices and employment status of tenants; panelists said they would attempt to follow up with the committee and provide available data.

The committee adjourned after the second informational panel.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Housing and Homelessness 05/28/2025 1:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Legal aid and community action groups told the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness that eviction filings reached a record level in 2024, mostly for nonpayment, and that combined legal help and one‑time rental assistance often keep households housed.","taxTitle","Housing and Homelessness, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",18023,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6222524,"Oregon officials review wildfire housing recovery: $150M state, $422M federal aid and lessons for future disasters",2207,41000,2248000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3593428-3b50c528c7532afb0dc32f9959d0615e&start=41&end=2248","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3593428-3b50c528c7532afb0dc32f9959d0615e/thumbnail_41000.jpg","/articles/6222524/Oregon/Oregon-officials-review-wildfire-housing-recovery-150M-state-422M-federal-aid-and-lessons-for-future-disasters","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6222524-cae3a65f9a7cfd121f57f5553986b411/orig.mp4?Expires=1775803132&Signature=PL656WUM48uqirYMXf2wl17Q-F4mFgmaqjP0IYddxTIBfAgDVObYQArSVJaOtPgoSZJbgYcjfaWup3CQo7K4kc52MQ9iSLRAGQsih9kpfor9ONO~SxpOllwW~5TQzplOQ7EjkMP1l5Cyh5Sexu5kYcTULUnwZEZ0zNuK9Peu7ihKD6D0Khl30iHLg8KLVA5zGMYK7kMGalNGM8AMska4lqdskv4XHnmUJCoMuZrbEC0Afn~32NImB9Vlsmh2BkgSqU3nZ48y1IwnIJ6YEBWSkkmYZf5v-S8kFRu9ppVvJsR57eXd~CmzJ47LOy6Ln99~4fdryJNGSdOavlrIOG7u-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chair Marsh convened the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on May 28 to hear a progress report from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) on recovery from the 2020 wildfires, including lessons for future disasters.

Kayla Bianta, deputy director at OHCS, told the committee the Legislature provided $150,000,000 in state funding after the fires and the state later received $422,000,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds from HUD. \"We did not have a team. We didn't have resources, whether that be staff or funding for emergency response, emergency recovery, long recovery loads,\" Bianta said, describing how the agency and programs were created in the wake of the 2020 losses.

The state funds supported interim housing and permanent recovery: OHCS reported roughly 450 households received intermediate housing (rental assistance, travel trailers, or comparable temporary arrangements) and about 867 households permanently recovered using the state allocation; state-supported development produced roughly 261 units, and additional state development resources resulted in approximately 438 units preferentially reserved for wildfire survivors.

Shannon Marhein, OHCS disaster recovery and resilience director, described the structure and timing of the federal grant. She said the CDBG‑DR award is a six‑year grant signed in February 2023 with a spend‑down period through February 2029 and that the federal rules require 70% of funds go to low‑ and moderate‑income households and that the source be used as a funding‑of‑last‑resort after FEMA, SBA and insurance proceeds. Marhein noted, \"We did a big push towards the end of the calendar year to get...95% of it encumbered through that HUD DRGR system,\" explaining efforts to protect access to reimbursable federal funds.

OHCS described the homeowner reconstruction program (HARP) as a primary homeowner‑facing activity under the federal award. The agency said HARP began accepting applications in March 2024; by the committee meeting there were about 232 active HARP applications, 56 home purchases signed, and 35 awards closed. OHCS also reported pipeline activity for housing support services (rental assistance for renters), affordable housing development allocations to counties and housing authorities, and that housing counseling and down‑payment assistance programs for renters transitioning to homeownership were not yet active.

Committee members pressed agency staff for additional metrics and future preparedness. Representative Gamba asked how many homeowners have been returned to homeownership and what the average public expenditure per household has been; OHCS said that exact per‑household figures were not available at the hearing and committed to follow up with more detailed data. Chair Marsh and other members emphasized survivors' frustration at being asked repeatedly for the same information by multiple agencies; OHCS officials said greater power‑sharing with long‑term recovery groups, earlier capitalization of local partners and maintaining steady coordination among state, local and federal recovery structures were top lessons learned.

OHCS officials also said some program designs that followed national best practices required adjustments in Oregon when they were implemented locally. \"There was very well‑intentioned plans that ended up being too risk averse,\" Bianta said, adding that OHCS has had to \"systematically bridal down\" burdensome requirements and work to share authority with local recovery coordinators.

Committee members asked whether the disaster recovery and resilience positions in OHCS would become permanent. Marhein said most positions are limited‑duration tied to grant delivery, but that preparedness and sustaining local long‑term recovery groups remain a continuing need.

The committee asked OHCS to return with written follow‑up on per‑household spending and the planned scope of resilience planning coordinated with the governor's office and the state resilience officer. Chair Marsh closed the discussion urging the agency to plan for faster responses in future events so survivors are rehoused more quickly.

The meeting then moved to the next informational panel on evictions in Oregon.","Oregon Housing and Community Services told the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness that state and federal aid helped hundreds of households recover after the 2020 wildfires, but gaps in coordination, data and local power-sharing delayed housing for many survivors.","actionData","errors"]

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Panel: Eviction filings at record highs in Oregon; legal aid and rent assistance credited with preventing homelessness

Oregon officials review wildfire housing recovery: $150M state, $422M federal aid and lessons for future disasters