Should Portland adopt Homelessness Response System Action Plan and Key Performance Indicators?

WHEREAS, the United States, the State of Oregon, the City of Portland, and Multnomah County are all experiencing a homelessness crisis, primarily caused by a severe shortage of affordable housing; andWHEREAS, as of July 2025, data from the Homeless Services Department's (HSD) by-name list identified 16,029 people who were experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County. Compared to the overall local population, a disproportionate number of these individuals identified as disabled, Black, Indigenous, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; andWHEREAS, Multnomah County and the City of Portland have determined that coordinating the development and delivery of services supporting and otherwise geared to individuals struggling with homelessness and housing insecurity, as well as substance use and behavioral health issues, will improve the delivery of services and enhance outcomes for those receiving such services and for the region as a whole; andWHEREAS, on July 3, 2024, Portland City Council adopted Ordinance 191810 authorizing three-year Homelessness Response System Intergovernmental Agreement (HRS IGA) and related Homelessness Response System Action Plan (HRAP) between Multnomah County and the City of Portland; andWHEREAS, On July 11, 2024, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioner adopted Resolution No. 2025-011, authorizing the HRS IGA and HRAP; andWHEREAS, the HRAP offered a roadmap for coordination between Multnomah County, the City of Portland, and community leaders. Specifically, the HRAP describes a two year plan for policy work; data sharing and financial reporting; and a new governance structure that broadens and unifies the work of addressing homelessness within a new system – the Homelessness Response System (HRS); andWHEREAS, through the HRS IGA, the City of Portland and Multnomah County agreed to maintain a collaborative and mutually accountable governance structure overseeing the work of the HRAP, consisting of three committees: a Steering and Oversight committee, an Implementation Committee and a Community Advisory Committee. This structure formalizes collaboration between County and City department directors working in homelessness, housing, public safety, behavioral health and human services, and community members; andWHEREAS, the HRS IGA commits both the City of Portland and Multnomah County to providing annual program and spending reports that detail actual spending and outcomes; and quarterly progress reports that detail progress toward key performance indicators (KPIs) and outline any material changes in programming or strategies to better meet shared HRAP goals. Quarterly reports also include financial reports to increase transparency over the course of a fiscal year; andWHEREAS, the HRAP was designed to be a dynamic approach to achieve the shared goals of the HRS. The HRAP can and should be reviewed and adapted to reflect the changing needs of our community members and the systems that serve them; andWHEREAS, in the spring of 2025, at the direction of the Steering and Oversight Committee, the HRS team began working to reorganize and update the HRAP in coordination with the Implementation Committee, the Community Advisory Committee, and other key government and community partners. The November 2025 update of the HRAP is intended to be easier for partners and the public to understand and track the work of the HRS; andWHEREAS, the HRS team also undertook a process to develop new KPIs because the original set of indicators (Exhibit 1 of the existing HRS IGA) do not adequately capture the system-level dynamics of the HRS. The new KPIs are measurable, system-wide indicators meant to assess the rate of homelessness within the geographic area covered by the City and County to evaluate progress; andWHEREAS, the updated HRAP and KPIs are intended to better align the system and policy efforts included in the HRAP with the accountability that comes with more comprehensive, system-wide KPIs.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council hereby adopts the updated Homelessness Response System Action Plan and Key Performance indicators, attached as Exhibits A and B.