Multnomah County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to spend more on homeless services — one that doesn’t include funds to help Portland force unsheltered people into large city-sanctioned campsites.
At its last meeting of the year, the Board of Commissioners allocated $28.6 million toward supportive housing services managed by the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a partnership between the county and the city of Portland.
But the funds won’t go toward Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s controversial plan to build campsites.
The county’s $28.6 million comes from a combination of unspent funds from the 2022 fiscal year and higher-than-anticipated tax revenues. Much of it — $15 million — will go toward rent assistance programs. Another $12.4 million was moved to a contingency fund.
Earlier this year, Wheeler asked outgoing Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury to put $21 million of the county’s extra money toward his project. Kafoury signaled that she’d rather move the money to existing city-county programs like rent assistance, housing vouchers, and eviction prevention services.
Wheeler then asked the Board of Commissioners to hold off on allocating its excess homeless services funds until January, when Kafoury will no longer be board chair. The city council additionally withheld about $7 million in its normal contribution to the Joint Office in November.
At Thursday’s meeting, County Commissioner Lori Stegmann said a women’s shelter had to delay providing up to 120 beds due to a lack of funding from the city of Portland.
“I’m deeply disappointed in the misinformation, ultimatums and threats that have been coming from some of the leadership within the city of Portland,” Stegmann said.
Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury speaks at a press conference Friday, March 20, 2020.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Kafoury, who was term-limited out of seeking another term as chair this year, appeared to be recovering from a recent illness at Thursday’s meeting, as she rarely spoke in a raspy voice from behind the dais. She said it was imperative that the county allocate this money now instead of waiting until January to help people who are struggling to recover financially from the pandemic.
“We have an obligation to do what we can to provide support and stability to those families who have been knocked on their backs as they continue to work to get back on their feet,” she said.
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson takes over as chair in January, so she’ll lead the board in deciding how to spend the $12.4 million moved to the contingency fund. After the meeting, she told OPB that she plans to work closely with Portland city leaders in the coming weeks.
“I’ve been really encouraged with the conversations that we’ve had so far, with everybody agreeing that this is an opportunity for a positive reset of the relationship between the city and the county,” she said. “We’re really talking about, what does that partnership look like, including conversations about the city’s proposal.”
Earlier this year, Wheeler and Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan — who oversees the city’s housing bureau — outlined plans to build at least six campsites for up to 250 people each while the city moves toward banning unsanctioned public camping over the next 18 months. Opponents see the plan as a thinly veiled way of criminalizing homelessness, while supporters see it as the best way to connect people experiencing homelessness with the social services they need.
In a joint statement, Wheeler and Ryan’s offices said they would still move ahead with their plan, despite not getting money from the county.
“We are disappointed that the Multnomah County board failed to fully fund our budget request for an initiative that has received overwhelming public support--though our work continues,” they wrote. “This is the right strategy for Portland and we will continue working toward compassionate solutions.”
Some of the 46 people who testified at Thursday’s meeting requested that the Board of Commissioners wait until January, when Pederson takes over as chair, to decide how to spend the money. Portland resident Amy Wood testified that their decision seemed “rushed,” and criticized the county board’s relationship with city leaders.
“You’re caught in an ideological power struggle while homeless mentally ill and drug-addicted Portlanders suffer,” Wood said.
Others argued that the money needs to be spent sooner than later in order to prevent more people from becoming homeless. Debra Porta, executive director of Pride Northwest, said she feared that delaying a vote would mean Wheeler would end up getting money from the county. She said campsites like the ones Wheeler is proposing are often unsafe for people in the LGBTQ community.
“I strongly urge you to hold true to the strategies that work, that are working,” Porta said. “We don’t need any more tents.”
