'We need more housing': Portland strives to reach homelessness goals in 2024

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- With more shelter, more people moved into housing and more evictions prevented, the city of Portland moved closer to their goals regarding homelessness in 2023, but is it enough?

A sweep Tuesday morning on NE 33rd and Marin Drive Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his staff claim is part of the progress seen in the city. Officials agree that the temporary alternative shelter sites were a key part of the city and county reaching several of its goals. But with fewer than 200 people housed, scaling is now the key and officials hope to open the next two Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites in March.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his staff claim that the progress seen in the city is an example of how the Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites are working.

"We actually did two or three months of outreach and we're out there regularly," said Skyler Brocker-Knapp, the senior policy advisor for Wheeler. "Got a lot of folks in the Clinton Triangle directly from their RVs, and actually they moved from their Arby's into those tiny homes.

Last year's Point-In-Time count found nearly 6,300 people homeless in the county -- Multnomah County reported that there were 2,300 shelter beds in use by the end of the year. 

All 140 of the shelter beds added were from Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites, according to Wheeler. That number met the goal set last year. 

The 1,474 evictions prevented exceeded the goal of 1,426. The goal of 186 new housing placements was also exceeded with 191. Seventy people from the Temporary Alternative Shelter Site moved into permanent housing in the first three months of its operation. 

"We're really looking at how we can grow the capacity. I think even more importantly, is that we are really making sure that as we are moving people safety into shelter," said Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.

Vega Pederson hopes through non-emergency funding that the government will be able to add 500 more beds in the next several months.

"This fundamentally has to do with we need more housing here in Multnomah County, in the Portland region, in the entire state," she said.

"It's not just the number of beds, it's how quickly can you get people connected to services, into housing and then free up that slot with somebody else for the next person," added Mayor Wheeler.

Wheeler and Vega Pederson agree the city, county and state are all working better together now than in years past. They are also urging state lawmakers to stop talking and analyzing and allocate the money to invest in behavioral health and treatment infrastructure they say is desperately needed.