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Portland Street Response and CHAP described as complementary but funding and scope questions remain
Summary
City staff outlined Portland Street Response’s operations, recent staffing gains and case-management work; officials also described CHAP, a fire-bureau medical diversion program that lacks stable ongoing funding.
Portland Street Response (PSR) sends paired response teams — an EMT plus a mental-health crisis responder — to nonviolent behavioral-health and low-acuity calls and maintains an aftercare team that follows up with clients, Enterprise Services Director Elizabeth Perez told the council Jan. 9.
Perez said PSR celebrated its fourth anniversary on Jan. 7 and has filled 11 positions since July 2024, with three recruitments under way. The program, she said, has both frontline responders dispatched from 911 and an aftercare team made up of peer support specialists and community health responders who help with housing referrals, Oregon Health Plan applications and other services.
Perez shared two client stories to illustrate outcomes: in one, coordinated aftercare and guardianship led to a client becoming sober, housed and employed; in another, aftercare staff secured shelter and a warm handoff despite police involvement at the scene.
Fire Chief Ryan Gillespie described the CHAP program (Community Health Assessment and Prehospital program) as a fire-bureau medical intervention for low-acuity medical calls and overdose response that includes a buprenorphine pilot. Gillespie said CHAP does not yet have ongoing funding and has relied on one-time city allocations and grants.
City leaders and councilors discussed whether PSR and CHAP should be combined under a single umbrella; staff said that question requires broader stakeholder work, including Multnomah County and labor discussions. Elizabeth Perez and PSR interim manager April Roa told councilors they plan to prioritize policies and staffing stability before pursuing role expansions, and that scope discussions tied to collective bargaining are expected to resume in Q1.
