The number of people living without shelter in Multnomah County increased by 42% from December 2024 to December 2025 to reach nearly 8,500 people, according to county data. Over 100 volunteers from around the city participated in the first “Night Strike” outreach event of the year on Jan. 15, coordinated by nonprofit CityTeam Portland. The ratio of helpers to homeless Portlanders is typically one-to-one, sometimes higher on busy nights. The rental systems in place to serve the poorest are under severe strain, with thousands of publicly subsidized low-income apartments sitting vacant and unused across the Portland metro due to failures in administering waitlists and regulated rents that increasingly compete with market rates. The Portland City Council is considering a proposal to pay off part of the mortgages of local affordable housing providers.