Report #10 Outreach: the first crucial step
Report #10 Outreach: the first crucial step Principle #2: “Consistent policies, procedures, and data input must be implemented across all outreach efforts. At first contact, outreach workers should introduce individuals to a Service Coordinator Specialist (SCS) to identify their needs, the services and programs available to them, and to chart a path to recovery.” The Homeless […]
Report #9 How (not) to Measure Accountability
Report #9 How (not) to Measure Accountability Multnomah County funds 48 shelters. A standard management technique when you have many different entities providing similar services is to identify, analyze, and spread best practices. This improves the overall performance of the system and enhances accountability. Broadly speaking, if you have 100 operating entities providing similar […]
Report #8: Unified Leadership: Prerequisite for a Successful Homeless Policy
Report #8: Unified Leadership: Prerequisite for a Successful Homeless Policy Unified leadership is a simple and well-tested principle necessary for success. Multiple leaders and uncoordinated management lead to incoherence in strategy, duplication of effort, gaps in practice, and a resultant waste of resources. Unfortunately, adherence to this basic principle is completely lacking in the response […]
Report #7: Can Housing First Beat Fentanyl, Meth, and Psychoses? The Crisis of Chronic Homelessness and the Case for Heterodox Housing Policy
Report #7: Can Housing First Beat Fentanyl, Meth, and Psychoses? The Crisis of Chronic Homelessness and the Case for Heterodox Housing Policy George Galster, Hilberry Professor of Urban Affairs and Distinguished Professor, emeritus Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202 Residence: Portland, OR 97209 The Growing Crisis of Chronic Homelessness […]
Report #6: Review of CCC’s Engaged Social Housing
Report #6: Review of CCC’s Engaged Social Housing On September 10, 2025, Central City Concern (CCC), the largest provider of homeless services in Multnomah County, published a paper titled “Engaged Social Housing: Sustainable Models for Housing and Clinical Services in Supportive Housing.” It is a 25-page study detailing shortcomings in Multnomah County’s implementation of the […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]