A new immersive exhibition exploring the causes and faces of homelessness in Portland and efforts to address it opened over the weekend, using first-person stories and local data to examine the city's housing crisis.

Why it matters: The organizers of "Dear Portland" said homelessness is often discussed in statistics and political talking points, not the human stories and sense of shared responsibility that can influence better public understanding of the issue.

• "Our biggest hope for this exhibit is to help people see clearly, to feel deeply and then to move towards action," Davey Schaupp, the director and producer, said.

Context: A collaboration between Humans for Housing and Stelo Arts gallery in Old Town, the exhibit runs through April and is intended to function as both a retrospective and a community space, featuring a rotating slate of events including nonprofit-led programming, themed discussion nights and more.

• It's the organization's first physical exhibition and builds upon its 2024 documentary "No Place to Grow Old," which focuses on the struggles of homeless Portlanders age 55 and up — the fastest-growing demographic of people entering homelessness.

Zoom in: In "Dear Portland," visitors move through three main rooms: a data-driven overview of Portland's housing shortage over seven decades, a story room featuring first-person accounts of life on the street, and a space to learn about local organizations and write letters to local leaders.

• The team was inspired by the National Building Museum's touring exhibition "Evicted," based on author Matthew Desmond's book of the same name.
• Madeline Iem, Humans for Housing's education director, said she reviewed dozens of peer-reviewed studies and worked with local and national housing groups to vet the information for the exhibition.

Between the lines: The exhibit is clear-eyed about how housing policy has failed to keep up with population growth.

• Yes, but: It also points to "upstream and downstream solutions" like expanding rental assistance and investing in permanent supportive housing and behavioral health care as proven prevention models.

The bottom line: Schaupp said "Dear Portland" is essentially a love letter to the city, but "love demands accountability."

If you go

Assurances that the Blazers would stay in Portland under new ownership are proving premature as questions mount over how to pay for a costly arena renovation.

Why it matters: Without roughly $600 million in upgrades to the Moda Center, the new owners could begin exploring an exit for Portland's only major professional sports team.

State of play: When the sale was announced, Portland leaders said they were committed to a "public/private partnership" to fund upgrades at Moda, which is among the most antiquated arenas in the NBA.

• State lawmakers are considering a bill that would dedicate $360 million in payroll taxes — from players and performers at Moda — toward a renovation.
• But the effort would also require cash from the city and county, and therein lies the rub.

Context: Portland would need to pony up roughly $185 million, per the Oregonian, and Mayor Keith Wilson has floated the idea of pulling up to $75 million from the city's clean energy fund, which was passed by voters to pay for environmental projects.

• The Blazers departing would be "disastrous," City Councilor Steve Novick told the Oregonian, "but I just don't see renovating the Moda Center as a reasonable use for the clean energy fund."
• The county is considering a package that would put $75 million toward the project.

Yes, but: Chris Dudley, a former center for the Blazers and current Republican gubernatorial candidate, said lawmakers should seek financial commitments from the new owners and a pledge to keep the team here before they sign off on funding.

Tell a fan

🥫 Nonprofit Feed the Mass bought the historic Blagen Block building in Old Town and intends to turn the first floor into a low-cost, affordable grocery store with ready-to-eat meals, as well as community event space. (Portland Business Journal)

🔨 Gov. Tina Kotek introduced a bill that would allow cities to expand their urban growth boundaries, but only if the land is used it to build manufactured homes or senior housing. (The Oregonian)

😬 Oregon is on track to have its lowest snowpack on record if winter conditions don't show up soon. Statewide, snowpack numbers hang roughly 30% below average, which could spell out a harsh summer ahead. (OPB)

If your tax return hits a snag this year, getting help from the IRS could take longer — and more complex refunds could be slow to arrive, too.

Why it matters: A Treasury watchdog report warns the IRS entered the 2026 filing season short-staffed and overwhelmed, increasing the risk of delays and service problems for millions of taxpayers.

• "There are simply less individuals covering the same, likely larger, amount of work," Erica Mariani, a tax manager at AlphaCore Wealth Advisory, tells Axios.

The big picture: A January report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found the IRS has lost about 19,000 employees over the past year amid workforce reductions.

• Staffing in key filing-season programs has fallen back to roughly 2021 levels, and inventories of unprocessed returns and taxpayer correspondence have surged.
• The IRS approved 2,200 new hires to help process tax returns this filing season, but as of late December, just 50 workers had been onboarded.

How to avoid delays

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Winter weather may, at long last, be on its way to the Pacific Northwest.

• The arrival of showers this weekend was a welcome reprieve from the warm, dry January we just went through, but it looks like things are set to set to change next weekend.

The National Weather Service is predicting those colder and wetter than average conditions we were promised by La Niña will arrive by Friday.

• Here's hoping the Cascades finally get some snow.