Moving to Oregon as a trans person
Oregon protects trans people in housing, work and health care. The hard part is the move itself. WERQ TOGETHER helps you plan it 3 to 6 months ahead, for free.
About 130 people have moved here with our help. Start your intake
The Oregon Health Plan covers gender-affirming care, and state law protects you in housing, work and public places. What takes planning is rent, deposits, a job and finding your people. That is the part we help with.
Start your relocation intake (15 minutes)
How WERQ helps you move
A plan. A 3 to 6 month plan, with monthly check-ins with a peer navigator.
Housing. A realistic budget, rental applications (fees included), references, tours before you arrive, and someone to talk to landlords with you.
Travel. Free flights through our nonprofit airline partner for people who qualify. Bus and train tickets when flying won't work. Help with pet travel, and an airport pickup.
Work. A resume rewritten for Portland, mock interviews, and free or low-cost training.
Specific costs. When one cost is the barrier, we pay for the real thing: a ticket, a document fee at the counter, furniture delivered.
After you land. Six months of peer support, health navigation and food programs.
We're the best fit if you're planning 3 to 6 months out, have some money for moving costs, and want to build a life here. If you need somewhere to sleep tonight, call 211 or search Wayfinder.
Is Oregon safe for trans people?
For most trans people, Oregon is one of the safer states, with real limits on cost and housing.
Discrimination is illegal. Oregon law bans discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in housing, jobs and public places.
Health care is covered. Since 2024, Oregon law (HB 2002) requires OHP and state-regulated insurance plans to cover medically necessary gender-affirming care.
Oregon is pushing back on federal cuts. A federal rule stops federal Medicaid money for gender-affirming care for people under 18 starting Oct 13, 2026. Oregon has sued and says it will keep covering that care with state money.
IDs can match who you are. Oregon offers an X marker, and you can change your name and gender marker without surgery. See our name and gender marker guide.
The limits are cost and housing. Portland's shelter system shrank in 2026, rents are high, and low-income housing waitlists are long. Plan your housing before you plan your travel.
Your move, step by step
Book an intake (15 minutes). Start here.
Meet a navigator for a 25-minute planning call.
Build your 3 to 6 month plan: budget, housing search, documents and health care.
Move: coordinated travel, and someone to meet you when you arrive.
Settle in: OHP, peer support, work and community for your first six months.
Want the full walkthrough? Read How to Move to Oregon as a Trans Person, or see our relocation planning program.
More relocation help
HRC emergency funds list. A national list of financial help for trans people and families who are relocating.
Trans Relocation Project. A Portland-based, queer-run collective helping trans people and their families move to Oregon from states with anti-trans laws.
The Queer Trans Project. A Florida-based nonprofit offering relocation grants and travel support to trans and nonbinary people facing changing state laws.
Elevated Access. Free flights on private planes for people traveling for gender-affirming or abortion care, by referral through a partner organization.
Project Open Arms. A Washington-based TRACTION project that pairs trans people moving to the Pacific Northwest with a peer navigator. It does not offer money.
First Unitarian Portland Trans Support Team. Volunteers who welcome trans people relocating to Portland. Email TST@firstunitarianportland.org.
When you get here
Find anything in Oregon: Wayfinder lists every resource we've verified, free, with no login.
Get covered: apply for OHP as soon as you live here. Read our OHP guide.
Meet people: our peer support group meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 to 8:30pm. See events.
Stay housed: read 3 tools that help trans people get housed in Portland, or see trans and LGBTQ+ housing in Portland.
Questions people ask
Is there money to help trans people move to Oregon?
Some. WERQ pays for specific costs directly, like a bus ticket or a document fee, and the groups above offer grants. Most people combine savings, a fundraiser and one or two grants.
How far ahead should I plan?
Three to six months. If you have a hard deadline or a safety concern, say so on your intake and we'll prioritize it.
I already live in Oregon. Can WERQ help?
Yes. About 1 in 4 people who reach out already live here.
Will OHP cover my hormones when I arrive?
OHP covers gender-affirming care, including hormones, for adults. There's no waiting period. Once you live in Oregon you can apply, and you'll qualify if your income is under the limit.
How many people has WERQ helped?
About 130 people have moved to Oregon with our help. More than 1,000 people have reached out, from across the US and about a dozen other countries.