Gov. Tina Kotek has extended her executive order declaring a state of emergency on homelessness for the third time since 2023, this time with a focus on behavioral health.
Kotek has made housing and homelessness a focus, beginning with three executive orders signed on her first day in office, including the initial emergency declaration.
The state of emergency applies to areas, including Salem, where unsheltered homelessness increased by more than 50% from 2017 to 2022 or that met other criteria…