This study reports the full accounting of the number of eviction cases filed in Oregon in 2024.  Each year, Evicted in Oregon (EiO) revises the total count of eviction cases in the state after collecting additional data to include filings in both circuit courts and justice courts. Only records for circuit courts are readily available to the public. The EiO team then collects data from circuit  courts and the 14 county-based justice courts that process evictions to report on all evictions  in Oregon, regardless of filing court type. The resulting data are that in 2024, there were 30,507 eviction cases filed in Oregon.

To examine how court processes at the Multnomah County Circuit Court impact tenants, our team conducted a series of court observations at the downtown courthouse between October and December 2023. In particular, we examined how the court handled the increasing size of eviction dockets during this period, the availability of legal assistance and other onsite services for tenants, the court’s implementation of new rules from Oregon House Bill 2001 (HB 2001), and any changes HB 2001 had on eviction case outcomes in Multnomah County. From our court observations, we found that high-volume eviction dockets were handled in a way that was convenient for landlords and their legal representatives, but cumbersome for tenants. Because the vast majority of tenants were unrepresented, they faced difficulties navigating the court process, submitting court documents, negotiating stipulated agreements, and defending themselves at trial. While no mediation services were offered at the courthouse, interpretation services, free childcare, and limited legal assistance were available to tenants onsite.

Drawing on both our court observations and court record data, we found that HB 2001 had positive impacts for tenants in eviction court. While the number of eviction filings continued to rise after HB 2001 was implemented, the percentage of tenants who had their eviction case dismissed—rather than receiving a judgment of eviction—increased. In addition, the percentage of tenants who received a default judgment of eviction for failing to appear in court decreased.

Residential eviction cases can be filed in two court types in Oregon, circuit courts and justice courts. Up until now, statewide research on evictions has only included filings in circuit courts, because those court records are accessible through a centralized online database run by the judicial department. Eviction cases can be filed in fourteen justice courts in Oregon. Because each justice court maintains their court’s records onsite, these eviction cases have previously been invisible to researchers and policymakers. This study reports the first-ever full accounting of the number of eviction cases filed in Oregon, including cases filed in both court systems.

A new report from Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC) estimates that evictions could cost Oregon as much as $3.3 billion after the statewide eviction ban expires in June.

The center worked with community partners to gather data from emergency shelters, inpatient and emergency medical services, child welfare, and juvenile justice services to estimate the downstream costs of evictions using the Cost of Eviction Calculator developed by the University of Arizona College of Law.

The center’s cost calculation is an estimate of the scale of the crisis that Oregon could face without additional eviction interventions. It does not cover loss of income, increase in public assistance, gaps in education, or the long term impact to health, education and earnings. Neither does it capture the costs of building new shelters and creating new emergency support as a result of exceeding the current system capacity. The estimate also does not include costs associated with likely increased COVID-19 transmission due to evictions.