By Emma Fleming | August 5th 2025
When people think of homelessness in Portland, they often picture a man. This image leaves out a large part of the houseless population. Women make up a significant part of the community. In Multnomah County, about 34% of people experiencing houselessness identify as women, transgender, nonbinary, or gender-questioning, and 43% of unsheltered individuals identify as female (Stark, Liz).
Behind the numbers, real people are experiencing this reality. Many of them are trying to survive in the face of violence. A large number of women lose their housing after escaping domestic violence. Up to 80% of unhoused women say they’ve experienced sexual or domestic violence (Stark, Liz). In Portland, women who have left unsafe situations face another impossible choice: go back to dangerous situations or wait weeks, even months, for a bed. The few options available may not feel safe and the referral process can shut them out when they’re in need (Marks, Makenna).
Living outside is dangerous for anyone, but women (nonbinary and transgender) often face greater specific risks. A safe place to sleep, access to menstrual products, or even a clean restroom can be hard to find. Harassment, theft, and sexual assault are constantly threatened. Some women limit or avoid eating and/or drinking to lessen how often they use the bathroom. The available, far and few between, public restrooms can be an unsafe place for them. This along with many other factors creates a toll on physical and emotional health.
Healthcare is another part of the houseless cycle women face as there is a lack of trauma-informed care. Mental health crises and addiction can be left untreated due to this. The system functions in a way where they can be forced into managing their symptoms without assistance. This increases the difficulty even more for women caring for children. If care doesn’t account for trauma history, gender-based violence, or pregnancy, it ends up leaving the women without help.
There are organizations and community built resources which are creating hope. Blanchet House is creating “Bethanie’s Room”, a 75-bed overnight shelter for women (including trans and nonbinary individuals). They are scheduled to open this upcoming fall, 2025. This will be the first women-only shelter on the west side. It’s designed to be low-barrier, trauma-informed, and staffed entirely by women..
What Women Need (Portland Specific):
More low-barrier, women-only shelters with trauma-informed care
Access to menstrual/hygiene products
Integrated healthcare and mental health services
The Statistics:
Oregon ranks first in the U.S. for unhoused families. This burden often falls on mothers trying to keep their children safe while living outside (Castillo, Elizabeth)
In 2025, Multnomah County had 15,245 people experiencing houselessness, but only had about 2,485 shelter beds. This means most people go without overnight help (Castillo, Elizabeth)
Deaths among people experiencing houselessness in the county rose from 113 in 2019 to over 450 in 2023 (lack of safe shelter as a major factor) (Castillo, Elizabeth)
Progress is happening, but it’s not enough, yet. Bethanie’s Room is a promising start, and organizations like Rose Haven and Blanchet House are offering daytime services for women to find clothes, showers, and a sense of community. Until trauma-informed shelters, hygiene access, and mental health care is widely available, too many women will keep falling through the cracks.
These women are not invisible, they’ve been made invisible by our system. They’re survivors, not just statistics. They deserve more than a mat on the floor for one night. They deserve safety, respect, dignity, and a chance to rebuild. If we want to address houselessness in Portland, meeting specific needs women have can not be an afterthought, it needs to be a central issue.
Want to help?
Donate or volunteer with women-focused nonprofits like Blanchet House https://blanchethouse.org/portland-womens-shelter-bethanies-room/ or Rose Haven https://rosehaven.org/
Support policies that expand low-barrier women’s emergency shelter
Advocate for menstrual and hygiene access programs
Push for trauma-informed training across houseless services
Sources:
Castillo, Elizabeth. OPB (June 17th 2025). In Multnomah County, homeless deaths are on the rise. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/17/think-out-loud-multnomah-county-homeless-deaths-rise-data/
Marks, Makenna. KPTV (December 10th, 2024). Blanchet House unveils plans for new women’s shelter. https://www.kptv.com/2024/12/11/blanchet-house-unveils-plans-new-womens-shelter/
Stark, Liz. Rose Haven (July 30th 2025). Understanding Homelessness in Portland: Check Your Knowledge! https://rosehaven.org/understanding-homelessness-in-portland/
