Senate committee hears data on rising evictions, courtroom reforms and gaps in assistance

SALEM, Ore. — The Senate Committee on Housing and Development on Feb. 3 heard an informational briefing on eviction trends in Oregon and how recent legal changes have affected court outcomes.

Sybil Hebb, an attorney and policy specialist with the Oregon Law Center, told the committee the state logged 27,290 eviction cases filed in 2024 and that nonpayment filings accounted for a large share of those cases. "Every one of those represents a household at risk, whose livelihood, whose roof over their head was in danger," Hebb said.

The presentation framed the filings against broader affordability data and recent statutory reforms. Hebb summarized the effect of House Bill 2001 (part of the 2023 housing reform package), including a permanent extension of the nonpayment notice period from 72 hours to 10 days and a statutory requirement that notices include information about where to obtain assistance in multiple languages. She said HB 2001 also required that landlords accept rent‑assistance payments and automated the expungement of qualifying forcible entry and detainer (FED) judgments when those judgments meet statutory criteria.

Why it matters: Committee members were shown how cost burdens and limited low‑cost stock push households toward court. Hebb emphasized that higher rent burdens and limited supply mean more households — especially households of…