This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A new report from Portland State University's Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC) and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health offers an in-depth examination of how individuals navigate, survive and attempt to exit homelessness in Multnomah County. Titled "Without a Map: A Lived Experience Study of the Paths People Create Through Homelessness," the publication serves as the second and final part of the Pathways study.
The first part of the study, released in April 2026, established through 541 surveys that 98% of unhoused participants want permanent housing. This final installment combines those survey findings with 29 in-depth journey-mapping interviews to show how people navigate homelessness and homeless services, what helps them move toward housing, what gets in the way and the many ways in which progress can sometimes stall or unravel. By co-designing the research with the Transformational Research for Equity and Experience in Shelter (TREES) committee—a group composed entirely of people with lived experience of homelessness—the study offers an insider perspective on how individuals experience housing service systems.
"Our findings show that navigating homelessness is about much more than finding a service and saying yes to it," said Kathleen Conte, lead investigator and assistant professor in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. "People are trying to stay safe and meet their basic needs while also figuring out a complicated service system, proving they qualify for help, keeping important relationships intact, advocating for themselves and pushing forward through long waits and repeated setbacks." The report highlights that for many participants, becoming unhoused was preceded by hidden homelessness, such as couch surfing, staying in vehicles or temporary hotel stays. Furthermore, bereavement emerged as a major factor, with more than 30% of interview participants noting that the death of a loved one directly or indirectly contributed to their housing loss.
Once unhoused, participants reported becoming stuck in "the churn"—a state where continuous efforts to secure housing are met with systemic bottlenecks, missing identification documents, case manager turnover and unreturned calls. One participant described the current homelessness service framework as "a system [that] rewards maintenance, not transformation." Administrative requirements and rigid program thresholds often created a painful mismatch between a person's immediate needs and available assistance. Participants recounted being denied services because their conditions or situations did not fit exact priority definitions, forcing them to navigate fragmented systems without clear guidance.
"Effective policy must be grounded in reality. In supporting the Pathways Report, our goal was to center the real-world experiences of people using our services throughout the entire process," said Lori Kelley, Multnomah County Homeless Service Department planning and evaluation manager. "This research gives policymakers and the public an honest look at what works, what doesn't and what truly prevents people experiencing homelessness from reaching their housing goals." Participants also described moments when the system worked.
These experiences show that pathways out of homelessness are possible, but often felt more like a lucky break than a reliable pathway. What worked, participants said, was often the right support, relationships and opportunities coming together at just the right moment. "Numbers, charts and data are incredibly important, but remembering the humans living without housing and what those numbers represent should be the priority," the TREES committee emphasized in the report.
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