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Multnomah County human services department outlines cuts, program shifts as FY26 rebalance begins
Summary
Department of County Human Services leaders told the Board that state and federal funding changes and the local rebalance will shrink some services, but they highlighted program transitions, contract changes and a mix of one‑time and ongoing adjustments.
The Multnomah County Department of County Human Services (DCHS) presented a detailed briefing to commissioners on how state and federal changes are affecting the department’s fiscal year 2026 budget and programs.
"I'm Mohammed Bader. I use he, him pronouns, and I'm the director for the department of County Human Services," DCHS Director Mohammed Bader told the board as he introduced the leadership team and the department’s FY26 recap. Robert Sewell, the department’s finance manager, summarized the financial position and said DCHS’s nominal FY26 growth was driven primarily by Preschool for All funds while other operating funds declined.
DCHS told the board the department’s total FY26 budget (excluding large cash transfers tied to preschool) is roughly $442.7 million with about 981.5 full‑time equivalents. The department reported prior cuts in FY25 that reduced staffing by 8.5 FTE and general fund reductions totaling about $7.1 million in the ongoing budget; other funds decreased by about $63.8 million.
Division directors described program‑level impacts and planned transitions. Irma Jimenez, director for Aging, Disability and Veteran Services, said the Oregon Department of Human Services approved a shift that will move the county’s Organ Project Independence (OPI) program into a new federally funded "OPI‑M" program that expands in‑home hours for eligible participants and alters eligibility. Jimenez said OPI classic funding will be “reduced dramatically” as consumers transition to OPIM and that the transition period runs through the end of FY26; she said no case closures are planned during the transition.
Jimenez also outlined staffing alignment changes of small net effect in ADVS and said the department added positions for process improvement, data quality and mandated advisory councils. She noted a housing navigator contract reduction from the state will cut referral capacity by roughly 50 percent for that role; the affected staffer is working with HR to explore options.
DCHS said it signed a one‑year contract to embed a case manager at Providence Administrative Counseling Services (PACS) nursing facilities to provide up to 15 long‑term services and supports eligibility intakes per month and to deliver Medicaid‑focused training to participating facility staff.
Robert Sewell said federal and state funding make up a large share of the department’s budget (federal/state funds approximately 44 percent of DCHS total) and cautioned that changes at the federal level will continue to ripple through departmental programs. He also stressed that the FY26 adopted budget included roughly $66 million in one‑time money that may not recur.
Commissioners asked about staff impacts, community‑based organization contracts and interagency coordination. Commissioner Singleton pressed for attention to culturally specific community partners and for data collection where gaps exist; multiple commissioners sought follow‑up on vacancy and trial‑service impacts for affected employees.
DCHS leaders said they will continue to provide written follow‑up to the board on outstanding questions and flagged more detailed briefings planned in forthcoming sessions on the county’s schedule to finish the rebalance process.
