Foster Care by City in Oregon: Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford, and Beyond

Oregon's foster care system is organized into 16 ODHS administrative districts, each responsible for certifying and supervising resource homes within a specific geographic area. The state office sets policy. The district office sets your experience. Where you live determines which certifiers you work with, which private agencies serve your area, and how long your certification process realistically takes.

This post covers the major population centers where Oregon foster care inquiries concentrate, and what applicants in each area should know.

Portland and Multnomah County (District 2)

The Portland metro's Multnomah County falls entirely within District 2, one of the largest and most resource-intensive ODHS districts in the state. District 2 serves the entire county through multiple branch offices in Portland and Gresham.

Multnomah County has the highest concentration of children in Oregon foster care and the most robust private agency infrastructure of any district. Applicants in Portland have access to:

Morrison Child and Family Services: One of Oregon's most established private agencies, Morrison operates primarily in the Portland metro and provides both standard family foster care and therapeutic foster care. Morrison is a strong option for applicants who prefer a private agency pathway with more structured support than ODHS-direct certification typically provides.

Boys and Girls Aid: A Portland-based organization that offers family foster care through a "Foundations" training model comparable to RAFT. Boys and Girls Aid has a particular focus on finding permanent families and has good capacity for working with prospective adoptive families.

Lutheran Community Services Northwest: Serves diverse populations and has experience with refugee and immigrant foster families.

The Portland metro concentration of LGBTQ+ foster parents is among the highest in the state, consistent with Multnomah County's adult LGBTQ+ population of roughly 5.6%. Portland-area applicants navigating LGBTQ+-specific questions will generally find the most experienced certifiers and agency staff in District 2.

Median household income in Multnomah County is approximately $88,766 — lower than Washington and Clackamas Counties, reflecting the county's mix of creative, tech, and government employment alongside a larger lower-income population. Financial stability requirements under OAR 413-200-0301 look at your actual income relative to your expenses, not against a county benchmark.

Washington County (District 16)

Washington County is Oregon's second-most populous county and one of its most economically strong, with a median household income of approximately $107,772 driven by the technology and semiconductor manufacturing sector. Intel, Nike's global headquarters, and significant OHSU facilities sit in Washington County.

District 16 operates through branch offices in Hillsboro and Beaverton. The district has been among the more active in Oregon for foster care recruitment, partly because the county's income levels mean most professional residents can meet the financial stability requirement comfortably.

Private agency options in Washington County include some of the same Portland-area agencies with county reach, including Morrison Child and Family Services. Applicants in the Hillsboro and Beaverton corridor are close enough to Portland to access any District 2 private agency as well — worth confirming geographic eligibility when you make initial contact.

Clackamas County (District 15)

District 15 covers Clackamas County, based out of Oregon City. Clackamas County has a median household income of approximately $103,517 — similar to Washington County — and a strong mix of professional services and healthcare employment.

The district is smaller than Districts 2 and 16 in terms of child welfare caseload, which can translate to more accessible certifiers and faster home study scheduling than Portland-area applicants sometimes experience.

Salem and the Willamette Valley (District 3)

District 3 covers Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, with offices in Salem, Dallas, and McMinnville. Salem is Oregon's capital, home to significant state government employment, and the Willamette Valley's second major population center after Portland.

The Salem area has a meaningful agricultural industry alongside state government, creating a more economically diverse applicant pool than the Portland metro. Eastern Polk County transitions toward more rural conditions with some of the geography-specific home inspection requirements that apply to rural properties (private wells, septic systems).

Eugene and Lane County (District 5)

District 5 covers Lane County through offices in Eugene, Springfield, Florence, and Cottage Grove. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon and has a strong progressive civic culture well-aligned with Oregon's foster care recruitment messaging around community responsibility and trauma-informed care.

Lane County experienced severe wildfire impact in 2020 (the Holiday Farm Fire devastated the McKenzie River Valley), and wildfire evacuation plan requirements apply to many rural Lane County homes. Urban Eugene homes on the valley floor focus primarily on earthquake preparedness (Cascadia Subduction Zone).

Catholic Community Services of Lane County offers regional foster care support in the Eugene area, including specialized placement services. Despite the name, the agency serves applicants across backgrounds.

Medford and Southern Oregon (District 8)

District 8 covers Jackson and Josephine counties, with offices in Medford and Grants Pass. Southern Oregon is the most acutely wildfire-affected part of the state — the 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed more than 2,500 structures in the Medford-Phoenix-Talent corridor, and wildfire risk is an everyday reality for district certifiers.

Applicants in Jackson and Josephine counties should expect wildfire evacuation plan requirements to be scrutinized carefully during the home study inspection. Having a detailed, posted plan is non-negotiable in this district.

The Next Door serves the Columbia River Gorge region (further north), but the southern Oregon area's primary agency options run through ODHS District 8 and the statewide reach of Morrison and OCP.

Eastern Oregon: Districts 9-14

Eastern Oregon's geography — vast, rural, and sparsely populated — creates a distinct certification experience. Districts 9 through 14 cover an enormous geographic area from Hood River and Wasco counties in the north through Deschutes (Bend) and Klamath counties in the center to Malheur County on the Idaho border.

The practical differences for eastern Oregon applicants:

Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOBHI) operates as a regional behavioral health cooperative and provides support for resource families in many eastern Oregon districts. GOBHI is not a licensing agency but is a meaningful support structure in districts where private agency options are thin.

RAFT training cohorts run less frequently in rural districts, and ODHS has made "Just-in-Time" on-demand training modules available specifically to address this. If you are in Malheur, Grant, Harney, or Wallowa County, ask your certifier early about on-demand training options.

Well water testing, septic system certification, and rural property-specific safety requirements are standard in eastern Oregon home inspections.

How to Find Your ODHS District Office

Oregon's ODHS district office finder is accessible through the state's child welfare portal at oregon.gov/dhs/children. Alternatively, Every Child Oregon (everychildoregon.org, 800-331-0503) can direct you to the correct district office based on your address.

For a complete guide to the Oregon certification process — including what applicants in each district type should prepare for, how to navigate ODHS district offices that have high caseloads and limited responsiveness, and which private agencies are actively recruiting in your area — see the Oregon Foster Care Licensing Guide.

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