Published 6:56 am Tuesday, May 12, 2026 There is a lot of talk about homelessness in political campaigns right now. I would like to share what I see every day from my own work in the field. A lot of the people I work with in homeless services did not “choose a lifestyle.” They lost everything in 2020 and 2021. Not because they stopped working. Not because they were using drugs. Not because they did not try. Because the ground shifted under them. When remote work expanded during the pandemic, higher-income households moved into regions like Central Oregon and displaced locals. Bend was widely identified as a “Zoom Town,” with housing demand far outpacing supply. Rents climbed fast. Units disappeared. Owners reclaimed properties for themselves or family members. Leases were not renewed. These were legal pathways, and there were few protections for people displaced this way.…