County staff watch statewide $217 million shelter proposal as commissioners signal support

Deschutes County staff briefed commissioners on House Bill 3644 on April 4, a proposal to create a statewide shelter program and allocate $217 million over the biennium to the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to maintain and expand existing shelters and provide shelter services.

Eric, the county staff presenter on risk and housing matters, said the bill would require the state to work with local planning partners to distribute funds to regions and to focus on maintaining or expanding existing shelter capacity rather than new capital only. He recommended watching the bill while county staff and partners check operational details and implementation rules.

Commissioners and local service providers described the county’s recent investments — including millions in American Rescue Plan Act funds that paid for hundreds of shelter beds — and said maintaining those beds and staffing is critical. Janice, a service-provider representative, told the board the region’s recent MAC-group investments helped house chronically unhoused people and that maintaining shelter capacity is an important part of a pathway out of homelessness.

Several commissioners voiced support for the bill and asked staff to follow up with shelter providers and city partners on operational definitions and funding mechanics. At the meeting’s close on the item, the board indicated a supportive posture while requesting additional detail on state implementation and on point-in-time counts to assess results.

Why it matters: The proposal would direct sizable state funding to shelter operations and services; county leaders said the funds could help sustain recent local gains in shelter capacity but stressed that operational details and coordination with cities and providers will determine effectiveness.