Gonzalez to Multnomah County: Pay for Portland Street Response

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Less than 2 weeks ago, Portland City Commissioner (and mayoral candidate) Rene Gonzalez said on "Eye on Northwest Politics" that his office has been unsuccessful in securing permanent funding for the Portland Street Response program.

Now he wants Multnomah County to pay for it -- and Gonzalez, who is also the Public Safety Commissioner, said the homeless tax provides more than enough money to bankroll the program. He said the Joint Office of Homeless Services should fund the Portland Street Response from Metro's Supportive Housing Services tax.

The tax was passed by voters in 2020, the same year as the Portland Street Response program which helps people experiencing mental and behavioral health crises.

But advocates, like Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand, argue that's not how voters approved it to be used and accuse Gonzalez of dodging responsibility.

"He's actually abdicating the responsibility that he was elected to do, and that's to see this program through," Sand told KOIN 6 News. "It's unfortunate because those Metro tax dollars are not meant for that program. And they're meant to have housing and supportive services."

Sand has seen firsthand the impact PSR has on the city and said 98% of the calls they respond to free up police. She's concerned that shifting the program to the county will reduce how effective it is and thinks Gonzalez should instead figure out how to access Medicaid funding and other options.

"Yes, we need that funding spent faster and better. But we don't need to misallocate it," she said, "and that's what he's asking. He's basically kicking his own responsibility outside of the city and onto someone else."

Gonzalez told KOIN 6 News the county is underspending in the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

"But fundamentally, I think when voters approved that they were looking on the streets and wanting to see relief for folks on the streets, the most visceral manifestation of homelessness in the community," he said. "Portland Street Response is part of the solution."

As PSR is currently backed with one-time ARPA funds, Gonzalez said his team has struggled to find permanent funding for the program or to expand it around-the-clock as he previously promised.

He said both Multnomah County and the Joint Office have the resources needed to pay for the program, calling it a financial imbalance. He said the City of Portland sends a check for more than $40 million a year in addition to the funds they allocate to address the crisis on Portland's streets.

But what's the plan if Multnomah County says no?

"Taking a really hard look at whether the City continues to participate in Joint Office of Homelessness," he said. "We are sending too many dollars to have to go hat-in-hand to support these important interventions on our streets."

While Gonzalez said he is "agnostic" on where the program ultimately lands, he told KOIN 6 News shifting how the Portland Street Response is funded will not "necessarily" move it from his office. He also said it won't impact how PSR is currently dispatched through 911 and the non-emergency line.

KOIN 6 News reached out to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson's office for comment. The office said her staff is continuing to work with city partners.