County leaders have mixed reactions to Portland wanting to end joint homeless plan

Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said she’s disappointed in Portland City Council for wanting to sever an intergovernmental agreement to find solutions to the city’s homelessness crisis.

“For me, it is utterly disappointing, obviously, as the county chair, but just as a community member in Multnomah County who really wants our governments to be working together,” Vega Pederson said.

On Wednesday, Portland City Commissioners Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps and Dan Ryan said the county is not meeting the milestones laid out in the contract.

“I think that they’re not looking. I mean, frankly, we have been so proactive in communication about the work that’s happening,” said Vega Pederson.

Gonzalez and Mapps are running for mayor and Vega Pederson called yesterday’s actions a political stunt.

“I don’t think the actions yesterday showed true commitment to governance. I’m afraid it had more to do with politics than governance,” she said. “The fact that this kind of mandate that happened on the same day that ballots dropped is a little more than a coincidence my mind.”

County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards disagrees.

“I think a refusal to listen to the concerns that were raised or just dismiss them as politics is very shortsighted and it actually is not representative of what I heard at yesterday’s City Council meeting,” she said.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services was formed in 2016, but despite the partnership, homelessness has increased by 65% in Portland from 2015 to 2023, according to the city.

Brim-Edwards said she agreed with some of the points city commissioners made.

“This specific agreement does not commit the city and county to specific outcomes and improvements in the net number of individuals living on our streets without access to shelter or housing,” she said.

The contract between the city and county, which was renewed in July, is costing city taxpayers $31 million.

“If part of this stepping away is taking away that money, that means we’re going to be losing over 650 shelter beds in our adult system and trying to find a way to pay for that,” said Vega Pederson.

But Brim-Edwards took Wednesday’s meeting as the city signifying to the county that they need to see more progress.

“We need to stop the name calling and gaslighting, and our community expects us to work together to solve our problems, and that’s what we should be doing,” she said.

The three city commissioners did not provide an alternative plan. If the Council votes to dissolve the contract, it will have to give the county 90 days’ notice of termination.

https://katu.com/news/local/multnomah-county-leaders-have-mixed-reactions-to-portland-wanting-to-end-joint-homeless-plan

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News post in at: October 19, 2024, 3:03 am.

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