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Council liaison warns city–county partnership strained as shelter‑to‑housing exits decline
Summary
Councilor Zimmerman, the city’s SOC liaison, told the July 8 Homelessness and Housing Committee that exits from shelters to housing have declined and that city–county deliberations on shelter strategy have been strained.
Councilor Zimmerman, the city’s liaison to the Homelessness Response System Steering and Oversight Committee (SOC), told the Homelessness and Housing Committee on July 8 that he is concerned about declining exits from shelters into housing and friction between city and county partners.
“Last year, when we inked the IGA … part of that agreement was a thousand shelter bed capacity,” Zimmerman said, adding that county partners have reduced the shelter target to 850 beds and may reduce it further. Zimmerman described a pattern in which ideas raised in SOC meetings—such as paying family members for couch‑surfing arrangements—have not been accompanied by clear data and have provoked tense exchanges that, he said, impede productive deliberation.
Jillian Shoney, director of the Homelessness Response System at Multnomah County, told the committee the recommendation Zimmerman referenced was not a HRS staff recommendation but one collected from community members and community groups. Shoney said the HRS team instead took actions to modify existing contracts with culturally specific providers, shifting some shelter dollars toward day‑center models and motel vouchers.
Both Zimmerman and Shoney flagged an important trend the committee must track: the share of shelter clients exiting to housing has fallen as shelters increasingly serve people with more acute behavioral‑health and substance‑use needs. Shoney said the county will supplement percentage measures with raw exit numbers in an upcoming August 15 report and will add wider metrics to reflect the full system. She also said the county and city are discussing tactical approaches, including a mayor‑led “shelter‑to‑housing strike team” and adoption of national practices such as the Built for Zero model.
Committee members, including Councilors Ryan and Bridal, said they want clearer data and stronger alignment of shelter investments with housing placement resources. Councilors noted the city has committed funding and expressed frustration at perceived “stonewalling” at SOC meetings when council representatives request evidence for county proposals.
No formal action was taken. The discussion functioned as an informational report to the committee and flagged the August data release and the next SOC conversations as follow‑ups.
