Portland’s city watchdog is suddenly hearing a lot more from people without stable housing, and a lot less from others willing to share who they are.
In 2025, auditors say the share of people contacting the city’s ombudsman who identified as homeless more than doubled, even as fewer complainants answered basic demographic questions. For an office designed to be a neutral backstop for Portlanders who feel the city treated them unfairly, that shift makes it harder to see who is being helped, who is being hurt, and who is missing from the picture entirely.
As homelessness climbed across the region last year, watchdogs warned that these data gaps could hide unequal enforcement and make it tougher for officials to understand who is most affected by city actions.
The ombudsman’s office recorded 469 complaints that fell within its authority in 2024, according to a City of Portland ombudsman report for that year. Auditors and local reporting say that tally rose to 617 in 2025, a roughly 32 percent increase, as reported by KOIN.
Complaint-driven enforcement and equity
The ombudsman’s previous work has found that Portland’s complaint-driven enforcement system, where investigations and fines often start with neighbor reports, tends to fall hardest on homeowners of color and in neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying. That pattern is a key reason auditors and advocates say it is crucial to know who is using the ombudsman’s services and whether access is equitable, according to OPB.
Who’s using the ombudsman now
Auditors told reporters that in 2025 about 36 percent of complainants identified as homeless, up from roughly 15 percent in 2024. At the same time, the share of people who reported their race or ethnicity dropped from about 62 percent to 41 percent, a decline auditors say weakens the office’s ability to analyze racial disparities. The audit also found that Portland Solutions accounted for about 23 percent of submissions and the Bureau of Transportation about 24 percent of complaints, per KOIN.
Context: a larger homelessness surge
Portland State University’s 2025 Point-In-Time count, along with related statewide reporting, documented sharp increases in people experiencing homelessness last year and a simultaneous rise in shelter capacity. Those trends likely pushed more people into contact with city complaint systems and the ombudsman’s office. The PIT count and PSU’s analysis provide the broader backdrop for the uptick in complaints, according to Portland State University.
What officials say and next steps
City Auditor Simone Rede and Ombudsman Jennifer Croft say the ombudsman’s office remains an independent resource for Portlanders who believe a city action was unfair. Auditors recommended ramping up outreach and improving demographic data collection so the office can better serve unhoused residents.
The Auditor’s Office plans to present these results to City Council and follow up on recommendations to strengthen data and outreach, per a Portland City Council filing.
Advocates say the numbers highlight the need for clearer, lower barrier paths for people without stable housing to seek redress, and for city bureaus to focus more on fixing systemic problems instead of leaning so heavily on neighbor complaints. City leaders are likely to face increasing pressure in the coming months to show how any proposed fixes will actually work in the neighborhoods that feel these policies the most.
