Breaking Down Oregon’s Housing Crisis

Did you know thousands of Oregon families don’t have a roof over their head each night? According to Housing Oregon, a fellow nonprofit, thousands of working families aren’t able to make enough to afford a good place to live.

“In Oregon, a worker making minimum wage needs to work 84 hours/week to afford a 2-bedroom apartment”–Housing Oregon.

The housing crisis is also forcing many seniors, on a fixed income, to make tough decisions each month. “Do I pay my rent or pay for my prescriptions?”

So what is causing the crisis? Well, there are several factors. First, the number of people moving to Oregon is far greater than the amount of housing being built right now. Because there isn’t enough housing, it’s driving up prices for what does exist. Second, a lot of what is actually being built is considered “luxury” with high price tags for rent and mortgage. This leaves an even bigger gap in affordable housing.

“There are nearly 250,00 families in Oregon who make less than $33,000 and need affordable housing. Yet there are only 143,000 units available for them”–Housing Oregon.

And finally, if you’ve checked Zillow lately, you won’t be shocked to learn that housing costs are rising much quicker than wages. Again, making many available houses and apartments just simply too expensive for many Oregonians.

How can you help? There are many ways but the easiest and quickest way to do so is hit the Donate button today. Your generosity is helping hundreds of families in Lane County find safe, high quality housing that they can afford, right here in our community.