Oregon

Oregon is giving homeless young people $1,000 a month to get back on their feet. Here's how it's going.

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

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Oregon is giving homeless young people ,000 a month to get back on their feet. Here's how it's going.

Oregon is giving some of its homeless youth $1,000 a month.
The state’s DHS says recipients report spending money on housing and food.
The program is among dozens nationwide trying to alleviate poverty with a guaranteed basic income.

Oregon has a severe homelessness problem.

It’s home to the third-worst homeless rate in the country, according to a federal count published in December. And it has the highest rate anywhere of unaccompanied homeless youth.

As state leaders scramble to address the problem, one solution is showing some promise: Give those young people $1,000 cash every month, no strings attached.

The Oregon Department of Human Services launched its Direct Cash Transfer Plus Pilot in February 2022. The program targets homeless people between 18 to 24 who have an “intention to become housed,” the DHS wrote last year in a report on youth homelessness in the state.

So far 120 young people across the state are receiving the direct cash payments, the report says. About 75 of the recipients are in Multnomah County, home to Portland. Initial payments for participants in the program started in February 2023 and are scheduled to run until January 2025.

Participants receive payments of $ 1,000 a month. They can also receive a one-time $3,000 “enrichment fund” payment. The program started implementing the larger payment after conversations with participants who said they still had “significant financial obstacles” after receiving initial payments from the program, the document says.

The only qualification for the program is to be a young person who is unhoused, though there are other factors — like being a member of the LGBTQ+ community — that can give applicants priority. There are no limits on how participants spend the money.

Recipients said they spent the funds mostly on housing, repairing vehicles, furniture, and moving costs, the DHS says.

While more than 65% of the participants said they were unhoused when the payments began, after six months about 63% of them said they had found housing, the report says. About 85% of recipients reported still needing “at least occasional assistance” with getting access to food.

Point Source Youth, a national nonprofit focused on addressing the problem of youth homelessness, partnered with the state to help design, plan, and structure the program. The nonprofit has helped with similar programs in other cities and states nationwide.

Anjala Huff, a senior director at the organization, told Business Insider that enrollees have been able to obtain housing, enroll in school, and purchase cars since receiving payments.

The program’s team has helped about two-thirds of the participants find housing. The goal is for the program to act as a sort of “housing intervention” that can be funded with public money in the future, Huff said.

“It’s not just about obtaining housing. We are helping to navigate creative housing conversations on how to maintain housing beyond enrollment in the program,” Huff told Business Insider. “After receiving the cash for one year, we are seeing youth who are interested in furthering their education to jump-start their careers.”

The program also helps the young participants with other strategies to ensure long-term housing, like reducing debt, sharing housing, finding higher paying jobs, and accessing community resources, Huff said.

Oregon lawmakers, meanwhile, are considering a bill that would provide 12 monthly payments of $1,000 to people who are experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, severely rent-burdened, or earn at or below 60% percent of median area income.

Several other states and cities nationwide are experimenting with guaranteed basic income plans, which are different than universal basic income plans because they target specific groups of people, but are similar in that they are direct cash transfers with no limits on how recipients can spend it.

The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund, for example, gives young parents in the city $1,000 a month. Tonaeya Moore, director of policy of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, previously told BI that surveys suggest participants mostly spent their money on the same general necessities, such as housing and food.

In Denver, the city recently extended a basic income program offering some residents up to $1,000 a month after participants reported increased housing security. And researchers in Austin found that most participants in a similar program there spent most of their funds on food and housing.

Despite the apparent success of these small regional experiments, not everyone is on board. Lawmakers in Iowa, South Dakota, Arizona, and elsewhere have proposed bills that would prevent such programs from taking place.

In January, Texas state Sen. Paul Bettencourt sent a letter to the state’s attorney general asking him to declare unconstitutional a program in Harris County, which includes Houston, to give low-income residents $500 a month.

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Oregon

Oregon’s biggest library releases its most popular books of 2025

Published

9 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Oregon’s biggest library releases its most popular books of 2025

Updated: Dec. 23, 2025, 10:36 a.m.
Published: Dec. 23, 2025, 10:22 a.m.

The new Holgate Library opens in Southeast Portland on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The expanded space is now one of largest libraries in Multnomah County.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

The Multnomah County Library on Tuesday released the names of its most popular books in 2025, and the lists include several gems, including classics by literary giants Jane Austen and (for the under 5 set) Mo Willems.

Multnomah County’s 19 branches together hosted visitors more than 2 million times and checked out or renewed books and other items almost 9 million times so far this year.

Are your favorite books on the lists? Here are the most popular titles as of Dec. 1:

Physical books:

Top adult titles:

James: A Novel by Percival Everett (1,089 checkouts)
Tilt: A Novel by Emma Pattee (1,059 checkouts)
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (1,004 checkouts)
All Fours by Miranda July (973 checkouts)
Intermezzo: A Novel by Sally Rooney (758 checkouts)

Top teen titles:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (507 checkouts)
The Blue Line Letters by Steven Christiansen (338 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (217 checkouts)
Heartstopper. Volume 5. by Alice Oseman (192 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (168 checkouts)

Top kids titles:

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems (636 checkouts)
Pigs Make Me Sneeze!: An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems (625 checkouts)
My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems (611 checkouts)
Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems (569 checkouts)
I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems (560 checkouts)

E-books and audiobooks (checkouts combined):

Top adult titles:

Solito by Javier Zamora (10,006 checkouts)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (7,835 checkouts)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (6,320 checkouts)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (4,923 checkouts)
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson (4,824 checkouts)

Top teen titles:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (3,215 checkouts)
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2,958 checkouts)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (2,902 checkouts)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (2,822 checkouts)
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (1,923 checkouts)

Top kids titles:

Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney (2,814 checkouts)
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (1,923 checkouts)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1,808 checkouts)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (1,478 checkouts)

Beth Slovic is an editor on the public safety/breaking news team. She previously covered Portland City Hall at The Oregonian/OregonLive and has taught journalism at a number of Portland-area universities and…

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Oregon

Oregon, SW Washington brace for a possible windstorm on Christmas Eve

Published

22 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Oregon, SW Washington brace for a possible windstorm on Christmas Eve – OPB

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Weather

Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm but say it’s still too early to predict how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.

A car is crushed by a fallen tree on Northeast 24th Avenue on Wednesday, Dec. 17., 2025 in Portland.

Saskia Hatvany / OPB

A windstorm packing gusts of up to 65 mph could hit western Oregon and Southwest Washington on Christmas Eve, triggering power outages and downing trees, forecasters and electric utilities warned Monday.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service are closely monitoring the windstorm as it moves up the coast, but say it’s still too early to predict exactly how strong those winds will be on Wednesday.

Gusts of at least 45 miles per hour could pass through much of western Oregon and Southwest Washington between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

While there is still a lot of uncertainty around the windstorm, now is the time for residents to get ready, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland.

“People should take precautions such as securing any outdoor decorations, garbage bins, and be prepared for the potential for some localized power outages or tree damage,” she said.

Further south, two winter storms will bring snow and rain to Southern Oregon and northern California this week, just in time for holiday travel.

California’s Siskiyou County will get the brunt of the storms, particularly at higher elevations, starting Tuesday and lasting through Friday.

Heavy snow is expected on mountain passes over 4,500 feet, and some snow could fall on Interstate 5 in the area around California’s Mount Shasta on Friday as the snow level drops, according to the forecast.

Portland General Electric urged residents to prepare an outage plan and get emergency kits ready in case the power goes out. The utility company is also warning people of potential weather hazards like downed power lines.

“You should always assume they are alive,” John Farmer, a spokesperson with PGE, said. “You should never go near them. Don’t touch them. Don’t use a stick or a branch to move. Just stay away.”

Following the heavy rains that plummeted the region last week, the NWS also warns that soils across the state are still really saturated. That, combined with gusty winds, could knock over weakened trees and branches.

Mindy McCartt, a spokesperson with the Oregon Department of Transportation, says their crews are still working to clear up debris left behind by last week’s storms.

“Crews will continue cleanup from the previous storms while also preparing and staffing up for the next potential event,” she said. “If the storm hits as forecast, maintenance crews will be ready to respond as soon as conditions allow.”

McCartt says people who are planning to hit the road this holiday week should take extra precautions. She also recommends checking road conditions before heading out for possible closures or delays.

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Oregon

Oregon and No. 4 Texas Tech square off in the Orange Bowl

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Oregon and No. 4 Texas Tech square off in the Orange Bowl

No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1) vs. Oregon (12-1), Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. EST.

BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Oregon by 1.5. Against the spread: Oregon 6-6, Texas Tech 12-1.

How to watch: ESPN

Key stats

Oregon Offense

Overall: 468.9 yards per game (11th in FBS)

Passing: 251.8 yards per game (45th)

Rushing: 217.1 yards per game (13th)

Scoring: 39.2 points per game (9th)

Oregon Defense

Overall: 271.4 yards per game (8th in FBS)

Passing: 158.1 yards per game (6th)

Rushing: 113.3 yards per game (24th)

Scoring: 16.3 points per game (10th)

Texas Tech Offense

Overall: 480.3 yards per game (5th in FBS)

Passing: 289.4 yards per game (11th)

Rushing: 190.9 yards per game (26th)

Scoring: 42.5 points per game (2nd)

Texas Tech Defense

Overall: 254.5 yards per game (3rd in FBS)

Passing: 186 yards per game (24th)

Rushing: 68.5 yards per game (1st)

Scoring: 10.9 points per game (3rd)

Both teams perform well on third down. Oregon ranks 14th in the FBS, converting 48.4% of the time. Texas Tech ranks 6th, converting 51%.

Texas Tech leads the FBS with a +17 turnover margin.

Oregon is 122nd in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 90% of trips. Texas Tech’s red zone offense ranks 47th, scoring on 87.7% of red zone opportunities.

Team leaders

Oregon

Passing: Dante Moore, 3,046 yards, 28 TDs, 8 INTs, 72.4 completion percentage

Rushing: Noah Whittington, 798 yards on 116 carries, 6 TDs

Receiving: Malik Benson, 645 yards on 36 catches, 6 TDs

Texas Tech

Passing: Behren Morton, 2,643 yards, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, 67 completion percentage

Rushing: Cameron Dickey, 1,097 yards on 198 carries, 14 TDs

Receiving: Caleb Douglas, 845 yards on 55 catches, 7 TDs

Last game

Oregon beat James Madison 51-34 on Saturday, Dec. 20. Moore led Oregon with 313 yards on 19-of-27 passing (70.4%) for four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball one time for 5 yards and one rushing touchdown. Jordon Davison had 90 rushing yards on 10 carries. Benson put up 119 yards on five catches with two touchdowns.

Texas Tech won 34-7 over BYU on Saturday, Dec. 6. Morton threw for 215 yards on 20-of-33 attempts (60.6%) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. J’Koby Williams carried the ball 15 times for 80 yards, adding one reception for -2 yards. Reginald Virgil recorded 86 yards on eight catches.

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