Elected officials ‘dismayed,’ ‘appalled’ by Multnomah County’s homeless budget shortfall

Published 6:30 am Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Elected leaders across the Portland region and state are fuming after Multnomah County announced a $104 million budget shortfall in its homeless services department – and asked local and state jurisdictions to foot the bill.

“To me personally, it wasn’t just disappointing, it was actually quite jarring,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson at a Monday, Feb. 24, afternoon meeting on Metro’s supportive housing service tax, which helps fund the county’s homeless program.

At that same meeting, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said he was caught “flat-footed” by the news, Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said she was “surprised” and Clackamas County Commissioner Ben West said he was “deeply disappointed.” Earlier Monday, Gov. Tina Kotek told reporters that she was “dismayed” by what appeared to be lack of transparency from Multnomah County.

Elected officials said they fear how deep cuts to the region’s homeless service programs will only worsen the public’s trust in the government’s ability to address its yearslong homelessness crisis.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a news partner of the Portland Tribune. Their full story can be found at opb.org.