Oregon Is Spending More Than Ever on Low-Income Housing. A State Law Keeps the Details Secret.

ProPublica reports that Oregon has poured one point four billion dollars into low‑income housing over the past five years, with the cost per new apartment climbing to about five hundred forty thousand dollars. Dozens of projects are awaiting an additional eight hundred fifty million dollars in future state funding, yet a 1997 exemption in the state’s public‑records law keeps the itemized expenses hidden from taxpayers. Former housing agency director Margaret Van Vliet, speaking to ProPublica, says the secrecy makes it hard to gauge whether the money is building enough homes, noting that homelessness continues to rise. A state‑run sunshine committee is now being urged to review the exemption, which could open the books to public scrutiny.

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