Oregon Legislature approves $200M for housing and homelessness.

Oregon lawmakers have passed a $200 million homelessness package aimed at boosting homelessness and eviction prevention services. The funding will go towards increasing shelter capacity, tackling youth homelessness, rapid rehousing efforts, and rental assistance programs. The package received bipartisan support and will now head to Gov. Tina Kotek to sign. Approximately 4,000 of the nearly 18,000 homeless people in the state live in rural areas. Researchers and agencies estimate that Oregon is short 140,000 housing units, and federal data shows its homeless population has increased by 22% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.