SALEM, Ore. (AP) \u2014 Oregon\u2019s newly sworn-in Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed three executive orders intended to combat homelessness on her first full day in office Tuesday, a sign of how critical the shortage of affordable housing has become in the state and across the nation.
\nThe orders call for boosting construction and marshaling resources to help the nearly 18,000 people living outside in Oregon.
\nAdvocates welcomed the measures. But they said that shoring up mental health and addiction services must also occur in order to help people move off the street.
\nJust last year, Oregon lawmakers passed a spending package that included $400 million to address homelessness and housing. But soaring inflation, rising rents and a spiraling drug addiction crisis have meant that that money hasn\u2019t gone as far as it needs to in reducing the state\u2019s homeless population.
\nThe first executive order declares a homeless emergency for most of the state; the second directs state agencies to prioritize reducing homelessness; and the third sets a housing construction target of 36,000 units per year, an 80% increase over current production, in a bid to address the state\u2019s housing shortage.
\nOregon is among the five states \u2014 along with California, Louisiana, Tennessee and Arizona \u2014 that have seen the largest increases in the number of people living outside since 2020. Its homeless population has grown by more than 3,300 people since then, a 22.5% increase, according to an annual\u00a0report\u00a0from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.<\/p>\n