State of Oregon Archives: on Welfare & Poverty
Christine Drazan:
Work with non-profits, faith community on homelessness
The problem of Oregonians living on our streets has exploded. I will address the root causes of homelessness--addiction, mental health, and affordability--and work with our nonprofits, the faith community, and local governments to
get people off the streets. We must help those looking for assistance. And when people commit criminal behavior, I will ensure they are prosecuted instead of given a pass.
Source: 2022 Oregon Governor campaign website ChristineForOregon.com
Mar 3, 2022
Gordon Harold Smith:
Block grants for state and local flexibility in welfare
Smith supports the following principles regarding Welfare and Poverty Issues:-
Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
- Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
Source: Oregon Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jun 18, 2008
Jeff Merkley:
Supports workfare and 2-year welfare limits
Merkley supports the following principles regarding welfare:- Maintain the 2-year limit on welfare benefits.
- Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- Increase employment
and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
Source: Oregon State 1998 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1998
Kate Brown:
Invest $400M in affordable, accessible housing
Every Oregonian should have a warm, safe, dry place to call home. And it should be affordable and accessible. We have to act quickly to help the chronically homeless and our children and families and our veterans. My budget makes a historic
$400 million investment in housing. If you approve a $20 million bonding package early this session, we can speed up construction of 200 units of permanent housing for the chronically homeless.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 14, 2019
Kate Brown:
An additional $400 million investment in affordable housing
There's an old saying in politics: Don't tell me what your values are. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what your values are. This session, I am asking the Legislature to join me in supporting an additional $400 million investment in affordable
housing. Addressing this crisis is not just about investing resources. It's about fixing a system that has been rigged against working families, particularly families of color.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Feb 3, 2022
Nicholas Kristof:
More than a quarter of childhood friends are dead
Kristof reminisced about how possibilities seemed endless when he and his childhood friends were growing up, "but today more than a quarter of those kids are dead and it's time to talk about why." He cited problems including unaffordable housing,
weak mental health support and inadequate education. Kristof said, "And it broke my heart when I returned from crises abroad only to find crises here at home and that's why I'm running for governor."
Source: The Oregonian on 2022 Oregon Gubernatorial race
Oct 27, 2021
Tate Reeves:
$250 million investment in affordable housing
There is much more to do to ensure more Oregon families have a warm, safe, dry place to call home. My budget continues our $250 million investment in affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and rental assistance. We have also included more than
$20 million to help provide a pathway to homeownership for Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and Tribal communities, as well as adding co-op and land trust models to our system.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 21, 2021
Tina Kotek:
We need both homeless shelters and long-term solutions
Q: Better to build temporary shelters or more affordable housing?A: Here's one of the things that I think voters should know about me. I'm not an either/ or person. I'm a both/and person. We have an immediate urgent crisis. People are unsheltered in
an unhealthy way and we have to serve them. We also need long-term solutions. I've done my part at the state with the largest investment ever for this two-year budget--$765 million statewide to build more housing. But you have to do both.
Source: Portland Monthly on 2022 Oregon Gubernatorial race
Oct 15, 2021
Tina Kotek:
We know housing supply is the long-term solution
We know housing supply is the long-term solution. I would bet that every person in this chamber knows where they will sleep tonight, safely and comfortably.
I want that for every Oregonian. In the weeks ahead, you'll hear more about my priorities for the legislative session to serve our unsheltered neighbors statewide and make even more progress on housing production.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 13, 2025
Christine Drazan:
North of 27,000 homeless in Oregon is unacceptable
Q: What do you think is the biggest issue Oregon needs to solve, to be seen as a better option for jobs and investment?Drazen: When I think about our future, and in particular our economy, it's tied to our reputation, which means that it's tied to
our quality of life now. People aren't looking at Oregon and they're not thinking about trail rides and hitting the coast. They're looking at Oregon and they're thinking about homelessness and addiction that we can't seem to get our arms around.
And for us to be an attractive place for people to grow, we do need to fix our reputation, but it's not just the business reputation. North of 27,000 people are homeless or unsheltered homeless across Oregon right now. It's unacceptable.
Kotek:
We have reduced unsheltered homelessness across the state, and we have made investments to have a statewide shelter system. We have improved housing. We are up 11% since the beginning of last year in terms of housing starts.
Source: C-Span transcript of 2026 Oregon Gubernatorial debate
Sep 24, 2026
Tina Kotek:
We've invested in statewide shelter system
Q: What do you think is the biggest issue Oregon needs to solve, to be seen as a better option for jobs and investment?Drazen: Our economy is tied to our reputation. People are thinking about homelessness and addiction that we can't seem to get our
arms around. And for us to be an attractive place for people to grow, we do need to fix our reputation, but it's not just the business reputation. North of 27,000 people are homeless or unsheltered homeless across Oregon right now. It's unacceptable.
Kotek: When it comes to what we've been doing on homelessness, we have reduced unsheltered homelessness across the state, and we have made investments to have a statewide shelter system. We have improved housing. We are up 11% since the beginning of
last year in terms of housing starts. We're putting more housing production into the pipeline. And that 11% being up is compared to where the nation is, which is down or flat. So we are putting everything we can into making sure housing can happen here.
Source: C-Span transcript of 2026 Oregon Gubernatorial debate
Sep 24, 2026
Page last updated: Oct 18, 2026