As Oregon grows older, more seniors are slipping into homelessness — and the safety net is fraying just when they need it most.
A Pillow on the Passenger Seat
On a clear day in Monmouth, 69-year-old Susan Gallagher parks her faded 1998 Chevy pickup outside a church. Her pillow sits on the passenger seat beside a cane, an inhaler, and a tiny parrot charm dangling from the mirror. She is here for a shower. Gallagher, a caregiver recently evicted from her home, now sleeps across the truck’s two front seats. She wants to live to 103, she says — but today her wish is simpler: “I just wanna go home.”
Gallagher is part of a rapidly growing cohort: older Oregonians experiencing homelessness. In Polk County, about 8% of those receiving county help are older adults. Statewide, more than one in four homeless Oregonians are 55+ — nearly 4,900 people, a share higher than the national average. And in 2024, homelessness among those 65 and older rose 12%.
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Oregon Crosses a Demographic Threshold
Oregon recently joined the states where people 65+ now outnumber children. The shift is striking in the Portland metro: Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties saw residents 65+ grow about 69% from 2010 to 2024. With baby boomers aging into retirement, experts expect the trend to intensify, stressing a social safety net already under strain…