EUGENE, Ore. – Evictions in Oregon have reached an alarming peak, with over 2,700 families being evicted through the courts in January according to data from the Oregon Law Center. This is the highest monthly total ever recorded in the state.
Experts attribute this surge to a significant reduction in eviction prevention funds, after state legislation cut $129 million from emergency rent assistance and other vital programs.
“So that $129 million was a combination of emergency rent assistance, one-time assistance for families, to help them stay in their housing, and then what we think of as eviction lifelines, the programs where people can call when they need help,” said Becky Straus, a Managing Attorney at the Oregon Law Center…