Gov. Tina Kotek, the 39th governor of Oregon, told a joint session of the Oregon Legislature that the state must accelerate housing production and continue emergency measures to address homelessness.

Kotek said she extended the homelessness state of emergency last week and credited coordinated local and state efforts with early gains but said more action is required. "By this July, the actions related to the homelessness state of emergency initiated 2 years ago are projected to rehouse 3,300 households and prevent 24,000 households from experiencing homelessness in the first place," she said.

The governor reminded lawmakers that the state shelter program now supports more than 4,800 shelter beds and said the state will have financed 2,800 affordable housing units and provided infrastructure for more than 25,000 affordable and market-rate housing units by July. She said the Housing Accountability and Production Office is now operating to reduce barriers to housing production.

Kotek described local progress in Clatsop County and Astoria as an example of what coordinated investment can accomplish: tighter service coordination, motel conversions for interim shelter and plans for new affordable units. She highlighted the case of a single father staying at the Columbia Inn motel turned shelter as evidence of ongoing need and urgency.

The governor framed her budget and policy package as the vehicle to sustain and scale those local efforts, asking legislators to "take my budget recommendations and policy proposals seriously" and to keep "our collective foot on the pedal of progress." Kotek asked for both funding and policy tools to speed land use and production timelines at the local level.

Although Kotek described specific program targets and program-scale numbers, she presented the budget proposals as recommendations that require legislative action before becoming law.

Kotek closed the homelessness section by urging urgency and continued partnership between state and local governments to produce more housing, prevent evictions and expand shelter capacity.

Kotek's remarks on homelessness occurred during her state of the state address and were presented as executive priorities and proposals; she cited outcomes already achieved and projections tied to actions taken under the state of emergency.