Oregon Law Center reports record-high evictions in January

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - 2,788 people were evicted in court in January, according to the Oregon Law Center (OLC). This is the highest number of evictions ever recorded in Oregon since the OLC started tracking this data five years ago.

“It is heartbreaking that more Oregon families are facing eviction than ever before,” said Becky Straus, managing attorney of the Eviction Defense Project at OLC. “Eviction defense and tenant services can stop homelessness before people suffer on the streets. But because of funding cuts we are not able to serve all the families who need legal representation.”

But according to Portland Tenants United (PTU), a citywide tenants union, many evictions happen outside the courtroom. This means the actual number of January evictions is likely much higher.

“What we know is that most people lose their housing not through court evictions,” said Leeor Schweitzer, who is on the Organizing Committee at PTU. “People will get a termination notice and leave before the landlord files an eviction in court. Or, people will get harassed to the point where they leave before receiving a termination letter and there’s no record of that. That’s not being tracked anywhere.”

https://www.kptv.com/2026/02/13/oregon-law-center-reports-record-high-evictions-january/

Atlanta-area eviction filings surge to 'abnormal' highs, data shows

“Atlanta has the most (eviction])filings of any site, city or state that we track right now," a research specialist at The Eviction Lab told the Chronicle.

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2026/02/13/atlanta-eviction-filings-surge-abnormal-highs.html

Maine's eviction prevention program has run out of funding — when advocates say it's needed most

In Terry Wain's Caribou apartment, there's just enough room for a recliner, a TV and a queen-sized bed beyond the front door. A coat closet serves as storage for him and his wife. The bedroom upstairs is for his teenage son.

Last fall, Wain said he was home one night watching TV when suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He was taken to the local hospital and then LifeFlighted to Bangor. He eventually returned home, but then it happened again. He was LifeFlighted a second time, underwent triple bypass surgery and spent about a month recovering in the hospital.

Eventually, Wain said he got connected with Maine's eviction prevention program, or EPP, which had just launched. The $18 million program provided short-term financial assistance to families struggling to make ends meet.

Supporters say it's been a success, allowing most participants to stay in their homes. But the program has run out of funds at a time when housing advocates say they're needed most.

https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2026-02-12/maines-eviction-prevention-program-has-run-out-of-funding-when-advocates-say-its-needed-most