House Bill 3644 would formalize practices local governments and service providers developed during the ongoing homelessness state of emergency

By Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle

After years of increased state funding to address homelessness and ever-growing numbers of homeless Oregonians, lawmakers and Gov. Tina Kotek are pushing for more state oversight and coordination for homeless shelters. 

Kotek’s office and Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, have spent months working on plans for a statewide homeless shelter program. The result, House Bill 3644, would require regional coordination and a focus on getting homeless Oregonians into their own homes, formalizing the regional approach shelter providers and local governments scrambled to put into place after Kotek declared a homelessness state of emergency in 2023. 

“It’s trying to put into place what has been working well on the ground throughout the state,” Kotek told reporters during a media availability on Monday.

The proposal — which accounts for almost $220 million of the $700 million Kotek wants lawmakers to spend to help shelter homeless Oregonians and prevent people living on the brink from falling into homelessness — comes as the state continues to grapple with a growing crisis. 

Nearly 23,000 of Oregon’s roughly 4.2 million residents were homeless in January 2024, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. About 62% of those individuals lacked shelter. 

More Oregonians were homeless in 2024 than when Kotek took office in 2023, despite the state’s record spending on shelter programs, eviction prevention and other homelessness prevention efforts. But Kotek and legislative allies say things are better than they would have been without her actions: By July, they estimate that 3,330 families will have moved off the streets and into permanent homes, 24,000 families will have received state aid to keep them from becoming homelessness and 4,800 new shelter beds will exist across the state as a direct result of her emergency order and state funding. 

Kotek told lawmakers on the House Housing and Homelessness Committee that the framework created by the bill would help make sure that when someone experiences homelessness anywhere in the state they’ll know where to go for help finding shelter and get the services they need to move back into housing. 

“Without this bill, we’re going to keep churning and causing a lot of inconsistency in the system,” Kotek said. “Let’s be clear with Oregonians what we need to be doing. Let’s fund it. Let’s support the work of partners around the state who are doing this hard work.” 

Growing problem

Homeless shelters have historically been managed by local nonprofit organizations, sometimes with support from local government agencies. But over the past few years, as unsheltered homelessness skyrocketed in Oregon, the state has taken a larger role in providing funding for shelters. 

That started in 2020, when the state used federal COVID relief money to set up Project Turnkey, a program that turned unused hotels and other buildings into homeless shelters. It started as emergency housing for people who lost their homes to the 2020 wildfires that destroyed thousands of houses, then expanded to include more forms of shelter. 

In total, Project Turnkey turned $125 million in state funding into 32 shelters with nearly 1,400 beds across 18 counties. It marked a 30% increase to the number of shelter beds in Oregon. 

Kotek’s first action as governor in 2023 was declaring a state of emergency around homelessness. That gave her office and the state Department of Emergency Management the authority to coordinate state agencies, employees and equipment to quickly address the crisis. The Legislature responded by quickly allocating hundreds of millions of dollars for homelessness and housing, with the goal of getting more people into shelters and permanent homes and preventing others from losing their homes. 

Kotek’s emergency order resulted in setting up multi-agency coordinating groups, which bring together local governments, shelters and other service providers to collaborate on providing shelter and services. The bill would continue regional collaboration after the emergency order ends. 

Tammy Baney, executive director of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, said the central Oregon region, which includes Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, works together to address homelessness. Additional funding from the state government over the past few years helped the region add 200 emergency shelter beds and get 300 people into housing, she said. 

But on any given night, nearly 1,800 people in central Oregon are homeless, and nearly 1,250 of those people lack shelter, most staying in tents, makeshift shelters and vehicles on public lands. Baney urged lawmakers to approve House Bill 3644, which she said would help regions continue working on providing shelter to Oregonians who need it. 

“It builds on the assets across the state, rather than a one-size-fits-all plan,” Baney said. “This will also save precious time, tax dollars and reduce duplication as regions would not need to reinvent their structures. Instead, they can stay focused on outcomes.” 

Rick Russell, lead pastor of Redmond’s Mountain View Fellowship church, provides a vehicle-based shelter that helped about 140 people last year. Women, especially mothers with children, and assault survivors often feel safer staying in their own cars than they do in traditional congregate shelters, Russell said, and it’s easier to convince residents skeptical of shelters in their neighborhoods to support a parking lot than a building. 

“When people experience safety and stability, they move from 24-hour survival mode to long-term thinking and planning toward a better future, and that’s what we’re there to provide,” Russell said. 

The bill would allow, but not require, regions to use safe car camping as a form of shelter. Umatilla County Commissioner Cindy Timmons said her eastern Oregon neighbors won’t allow car-based shelters, and it’s important that each region has the flexibility it needs to address homelessness. 

Some eastern Oregon counties, including Morrow, Wheeler and Gilliam, have no shelter beds, Timmons said. That means her region needs to be able to use money for transportation to help get people who need services to the places they can access services. 

Lawmakers will take more public comments on the bill on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Oregonians who want to comment can submit written comments or sign up to speak to the committee on the Legislature’s website. 

Julia Shumway has reported on government and politics in Iowa and Nebraska, spent time at the Bend Bulletin and most recently was a legislative reporter for the Arizona Capitol Times in Phoenix, Arizona.