Report #5: Behavioral Health and Drug Addiction..The Ignored Stepchild of Homeless Services

Report #5: Behavioral Health and Drug Addiction..The Ignored Stepchild of Homeless Services Various numbers have been reported that claim to total the spending on homelessness in Multnomah County.  They include the costs of shelters, clean-ups, supported housing, street outreach, and similar services.  But they do not include the cost of treating addiction and mental illness […]

Report #4: Further Thoughts on the Spending on Homelessness in Multnomah County

Report #4: Further Thoughts on the Spending on Homelessness in Multnomah County A recent report by ECOnorthwest calculated that the 3-county Tri-County region (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties) spent $724mm on homelessness in FY2024, of which $501mm was spent in Multnomah County.    FY 2024 homelessness spending breakdown across Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties by […]

Sharon Meieran’s Approach to Homelessness in Multnomah County

Sharon Meieran’s Approach to Homelessness in Multnomah County Executive Summary – Proposed Strategy, Recommendations, and Red Flags The Problem Homelessness is the biggest crisis facing Multnomah County. However, despite constant headlines, billions of dollars, and immeasurable amounts of time and energy spent on plans to “end homelessness”, meaningful goals and ways to achieve them have […]

Report #3: Shelter, Housing Assistance, and Supportive Housing

Report #3: Shelter, Housing Assistance, and Supportive Housing The city and county fund various shelter and housing programs to reduce homelessness. In general, the data provided to evaluate these programs is missing, incomplete, contradictory, or confusing.  Nevertheless, in this report we try to distinguish between the major types and attempt a cost-benefit analysis.  We welcome […]

Report #2: A Flood of Money/A Dysfunctional System

Report #2: A Flood of Money/A Dysfunctional System From the table below, we can see that Portland and Multnomah County spend a huge amount on the homeless, over $800 million of direct costs per year.   And this does not include the indirect costs of homelessness: to the courts and jails, the costs imposed on small businesses, tourism, […]

Where Does the Money Come From?

Where Does the Money Come From? This blog is organized around the jurisdictions that provide money for shelter, housing and health services in Multnomah County. Often a source of funding moves through several governmental jurisdictions, but the implementation, in the end, is carried out by nonprofit service providers.   This makes it hard to determine […]

Report #1: Ending Homelessness Requires Good Data

Report #1: Ending Homelessness Requires Good Data We have not had timely or reliable data on our homeless situation. Even the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county was not known until recently. The January, 2023 Point-in-Time count reported 6,300 homeless people. Using the county’s By-Name-List, they reported 11,135 in January, 2024. Only in […]

A Plan to Address the Source of Unsheltered Homelessness

A Plan to Address the Source of Unsheltered Homelessness Presented to the Homeless Solutions Coalition by Ken Thrasher: 12/2/2024 For the last five years unsheltered homelessness has continued to grow in Portland and Multnomah County. Actions to date by the County and City have invested over $1 billion on a series of failed strategies that […]