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Curtis Holloway's avatar

The most comprehensive data on comes from the 2023 Point-in-Time Findings Report: Count of People Experiencing Homelessness in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, Oregon.

Of unsheltered survey respondents in Multnomah County, about 58% became homeless while living in the county. 42% lost housing elsewhere (other Oregon/Washington counties, other states, or abroad).

Portland's higher rate of homeless persons losing housing elsewhere is higher than other west coast cities. It may be higher than other parts of the country, but there is no data

% of Homeless Population Who Became Homeless Outside the Area

City / County % Out-of-Area

Portland (Multnomah) 42%

Seattle / King 27%

Phoenix/Maricopa 31%

Los Angeles 30%

San Francisco 30%

Denver Metro 29%

San Diego 27%

Sacramento 26%

Austin / Travis 24%

San Jose/Santa Clara 23%

Among those who moved to the area while already homeless, the top reasons cited were:

• 40% had family or friends here

• 12% came for jobs

• ~21% cited homeless services, social service availability, or Portland’s progressive reputation

• 33% gave “other” reasons

So, while most respondents pointed to family or jobs, a significant minority explicitly mentioned Portland’s service network and reputation as motivating factors

The source of this information is at https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=hrac_pub.

Scroll to pages 96 and 97 to find the information.

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rich ovenburg's avatar

Sounds like a successful and needed resource for Portland …However, one thing stuck out to me….” Donny Collins has been homeless since he arrived in Portland six months ago. He needed a job and a place to live.” Why did Donny come to Portland??How many other people come to Portland, from some place else, just to be homeless. Does Portland attract homeless people from other places ..and why

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