Portland-Area Leaders Set Two-Year Target: Cut Homelessness 10%, House 12,000
Portland is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. PORTLAND -- Portland-area leaders have set a goal of reducing homelessness by 10% over the next two years, replacing sweeping promises to end the crisis with a target tied to housing placements, data and available funding.
The plan, adopted in late September by the five-member Steering and Oversight Committee of the Homelessness Response Action Plan, calls for housing more than 12,000 people by 2028. County officials say about 12,350 placements would be needed to meet the overall reduction target, while accounting for people newly experiencing homelessness and those who lose housing again. The goal would bring the number of people experiencing homelessness to roughly 13,000; an estimate put the number of people who had received homeless services in Multnomah County in the prior 30 to 60 days at about 14,500.
The committee includes Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, County Commissioner Shannon Singleton, Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall and Portland City Councilor Eric Zimmerman. Wilson was the only voting member to oppose the targets, saying a 10% reduction was not ambitious enough; Councilor Dan Ryan also said he would have voted no, arguing the target understates the crisis's effect on residents and the local economy.
The plan also includes an 8% reduction target for unsheltered homelessness, longer stays in supportive housing for people with high behavioral health needs, and more affordable housing for people earning 30% or less of the area median income. But funding is uncertain: about $35 million budgeted this year for shelter and housing placement is one-time money, and officials will need a similar amount next year. "A numerical goal without a resource strategy is an aspiration, not a plan," said Tony Bernal, executive director of Transition Projects.
Placing 12,350 people in housing over two years would be a 27% jump from the rate achieved over the previous two years. County figures show 80% of people who received temporary rent assistance in fiscal 2024 remained housed two years after it ended; the rate was 84% for people placed in permanent housing with wraparound services. Source: The Portland Focal.
Related: Portland Mayor Wilson Unveils 'Safe and Livable Portland' Agenda Built on Citywide Coordination
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：波特兰东北区街边的无家可归者帐篷营地。摄影：Graywalls，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
