Sponsor
Evicted in Oregon’s research is supported by Oregon Housing and Community Services Department, Portland Housing Bureau, and the technical assistance of Oregon Law Center. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of funders or technical assistance partners.
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
10-2025
Subjects
Eviction — Oregon, COVID-19 Pandemic — Social aspects — Oregon, Tenants — Oregon — Interviews, Housing policy — Oregon, Right to housing — Oregon
Abstract
In the original "Fight, Flight, Freeze" (FFF) report, the Evicted in Oregon researchers reported on the experiences of tenants who faced eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic and their access to resources. This brief provides updated analysis, now including 121 tenants with eviction experiences in Oregon. The analysis includes 13 new focus groups with tenants in both rural and urban Oregon, focusing on the type of support they received while navigating eviction. These groups represent tenants from diverse backgrounds.
Using the fight-flight-freeze framework, we analyzed tenants' reactions to eviction. We also report the resources they accessed after being threatened with eviction and describe the broader effects of eviction, including impacts on health and family stability.
Our findings highlight three outcomes and impacts tenants experience when navigating the threat of eviction:
- Tenants who received formal support were able to remain housed after facing the threat of eviction.
- Tenants mainly relied on friends and family for temporary housing.
- Tenants encounter housing, health, and financial hardships during and after eviction.
These findings align with the first FFF report, reinforcing that formal support is crucial for keeping tenants housed and that additional services are necessary to assist tenants through eviction. We conclude by outlining recommendations to prevent eviction and support tenants in the eviction process.
Rights
© 2025 Portland State University
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44239
Citation Details
Cholula, Natalie J.; Bates, Lisa K.; Farrington, Alex; Zapata, Marisa; Greene, Jacen; and Carroll, Colleen, "Fight, Flight, Freeze 2: An Update on Tenants’ Responses to Eviction Across Urban and Rural Oregon" (2025). Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations. 395.
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44239
Description
Evicted in Oregon is a research project interested in understanding how evictions happen, for the purpose of eliminating them.