“This is an amazing program and helped me and my daughter not lose our apartment.”

“This program saved me from eviction.”

“Saved my life. Seriously.”

“I have hope now.

These are the words of some of the hundreds of people who have accessed rent assistance in Oregon in the last year.

The cheapest and best way to end homelessness is to stop families from becoming homeless in the first place. That means investing in the programs that help, like the rent assistance that kept these families and thousands more in their homes.

For years, cities all over Oregon have struggled with not enough housing, high housing costs and homelessness. In city council meetings and legislative chambers, our leaders wrestle with how to make sure every Oregonian has a roof over their head. Oregon just received an F for housing affordability, according to the Oregonian. At kitchen tables, families stress about making rent and worry that they are one eviction letter away from living out of their car.

Even though we have been on opposing sides in the courtroom, lately we find ourselves walking together through the statehouse with a unified message. We can turn off the pipeline to homelessness. To do so, we must continue to invest in proven prevention strategies: rent assistance, eviction prevention, navigation services and legal help.

Oregon Law Center provides legal assistance in civil court for low-income people and families. When we ask our client communities about their biggest concerns for themselves and their families, the threat of homelessness and losing their housing stability is far and away the biggest fear.

Meanwhile Oregon cities have been struggling to address the growing needs of people living on the streets. Cities have limited funding, and the cost to build housing or provide shelter just keeps increasing. Cities have stood up shelters using one-time funds from limited city budgets, but shelter beds are costly to maintain and costs are rising. Keeping families in their homes is the best and most affordable solution to homelessness.

The League of Oregon Cities and its member cities know that we must continue to fund shelters with both city and state funding, and that investing in prevention is key to addressing our homelessness crisis. Oregon’s cities, especially smaller cities, cannot do this alone. The state has an obligation to continue to invest in homelessness prevention.

Solving our homelessness crisis is deeply challenging, but it is not impossible. There are evidence-based prevention solutions already in place to keep thousands of families, seniors and hard-working Oregonians out of homelessness. Connecting people to eviction protection and homelessness prevention services such as navigation services and legal assistance is a proven approach to ensure people can stay housed. Culturally specific providers are trusted entities who can more effectively reach communities who need help. Replenishing emergency rent assistance will ensure families in crisis can stay housed while navigating challenges.

In 2024, there were more than 2,000 eviction filings every month. Every filing represents an Oregon household, a family on the brink of losing everything. This rate is more than a third higher than pre-pandemic levels, and shows no sign of slowing down. Rising rents are driving these evictions. And the threat of homelessness after an eviction is real.

Keeping someone in their home is much cheaper than letting them fall into homelessness and trying to rehouse them later. Beyond cost, prevention also avoids trauma, job loss, school disruption and the health risks that come with homelessness.

All of us are frustrated with the fact that our neighbors and family members continue to be pushed on to the streets. But we have a proven safety net — one that is helping people right now, in cities large and small. Homelessness prevention programs are making a difference for thousands of Oregonians and stemming the tide of homelessness in our communities. We can all agree that investing in prevention is worth it, because it saves money, because it’s the right thing to do, and because all of our neighbors need a place to call home.

Sybil Hebb of Portland is director of legislative advocacy at Oregon Law Center, which has offices in Coos Bay, Grants Pass, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lane County, McMinnville, Ontario, Salem, St. Helens, Woodburn and Portland. Alexandra Ring of Portland is a lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities, which represents all 241 cities in the state.