Multnomah County commissioners voted Thursday to extend a contract with the city of Portland to jointly oversee the region’s homelessness response agency for three more years.
The decision follows a year of negotiations between county and city leaders over how to operate the Joint Office of Homeless Services, with politicians disagreeing over how the agency’s money should be best spent. As the name suggests, the 8-year-old agency is jointly funded by the two governments, with some money from state and federal coffers. The county is largely responsible for its governance and budget, while the city acts as an advisory body.
City commissioners have lamented this structure for years, especially as the Joint Office has seen its budget balloon with new tax dollars but hasn’t shown progress in solving the region’s growing homeless crisis.
This concern has led some City Council members to threaten exiting the joint contract, in hopes of regaining some control over Portland’s homelessness response. This threat, most recently raised last year, led to the city and county leadership crafting a new contract — instead of just renewing the original agreement — that attempts to address long-standing concerns with how funds are distributed and a lack of clear, measurable goals.
FILE: A person speaks to someone inside of a tent, camping on the sidewalk in downtown Portland, Ore., Nov. 15, 2023.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, who co-authored the contract with Mayor Ted Wheeler, said that reaching this agreement “didn’t look all that possible” when she first entered office in January 2023.
“The relationship between the city and the county was at some of the lowest points I think it had ever been, and there was a real lack of faith in our ability to work together to accomplish things,” she said. “I think the work that has happened in the last 18 months has been truly incredible.”
The new agreement gives the city more control over the Joint Office’s finances and policy decisions, gives complete oversight of the city’s outdoor shelters to the county, and removes any penalties for either party for backing out of the contract early. It also removes the word “joint” from the agency’s title, and instructs the county to propose a new name by the end of the year. The plan lays out new goals for the agency — like halving the number of people sleeping outside in Multnomah County by 2026.
“I can tell you with certainty that this [agreement] includes a lot more accountability mechanisms than we’ve seen in the past,” said Skyler Brocker-Knapp, an adviser to the mayor.
Vega Pederson and Wheeler say the document reflects input from all city and county elected officials — along with homeless service providers and people who have experienced homelessness. Yet not all local leaders are thrilled with the end result.
County Commissioner Sharon Meieran cast the lone vote in opposition to the new contract Thursday, raising concerns that the proposal doesn’t go far enough to support behavioral health programs and that it over-promises the governments’ ability to reduce the number of people living outside.
She accused county and city commissioners of rushing to approve the contract. “Those trying to push this agreement through… they don’t want the time for true, honest, open public debate,” Meieran said. “To not do so is simply to plan to fail.”
She called on members of Portland City Council to “put an end to the charade” by voting against the plan.
The contract is not final without the council’s approval — which isn’t a given.
The city is set to hold its initial vote on the plan next Thursday. As of Wednesday, three commissioners — Rene Gonzalez, Dan Ryan and Mingus Mapps — have not yet committed to extending the contract, citing concerns with the county’s poor record of getting money to programs that address homelessness swiftly.
If they vote no, the current contract will expire on June 30, and city and county commissioners will need to work on a plan to divide the shared homeless service programs between the two jurisdictions. That could splinter partnerships between mental health and addiction services, which the county manages, and housing and shelter programs, which the city traditionally oversees.
Brocker-Knapp, with Wheeler’s office, said that if the contract expires without a replacement, the Joint Office would likely run “business as usual” for a while. But without a contract, both governments would need to enter a legal process to formally disengage in the shared work.
“I think it’s always better to have a governing contract in place that is more explicit,” said Brocker-Knapp, pointing to the new contract, which includes clear steps for dissolving the arrangement.
Several county commissioners expressed relief at finishing contract work after months of negotiations.
“Our community has been screaming at us saying, ‘Multnomah County and city of Portland, you need to grow up,’” Commissioner Lori Stegmann said. “You need to get your act together, and you need to work together and collaborate. And we have, and I am really proud. I believe in this plan.”
If the Portland City Council approves the plan, it will go into effect on July 1.