City officials outline plans for homelessness response, Portland Street Response expansion and use of climate funds

City officials answering TSCC questions described a multi-pronged approach to homelessness and provided updates on Portland Street Response (PSR) and the city’s climate investment plan.

On homelessness, city representatives said Portland and Multnomah County have an intergovernmental agreement intended to coordinate a regional homelessness response, and council members described work toward a unified housing strategy to align city resources, preserve housing and pursue alternative financing. A city official said the council’s goal in the near term is to add roughly 1,500 24/7 and recovery shelter beds through a combination of city, county and public–private partnership resources; the county has pledged 1,000 beds and private partners 500, the official said.

On Portland Street Response, officials said the program has grown beyond its pilot status, has filled many of its vacant positions and has a staffing plan to extend operations. Bob Causey, interim deputy city administrator for the public safety service area, said PSR currently represents a small share of dispatch volume — about 2% of dispatch workload from the 911 center — and that expansion of units and a dedicated dispatch position would increase PSR’s ability to respond and reduce some police dispatch demand. Causey said the mayor, council and PSR leadership are pursuing Medicaid billing for eligible services to diversify funding.

Tony Olivera, speaking from the administration’s economic development team, described the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) investment planning process. He said the amended Climate Investment Plan (CIP) was adopted after a nine-month engagement process, recommended by the PCEF committee, and that the FY 2025-26 bureau allocations align with the amended plan. Olivera noted the CIP organizes 37 strategic initiatives and that some allocations are prescriptive (for example, targeted tree plantings) while others are held to match future federal grants or awarded via competitive community grants.

Officials flagged economic uncertainty as a risk to revenues tied to surcharges and noted the city economist has prepared memos about potential impacts. They said any proposed changes to allocations would be considered through established committee processes and prioritized toward programs with the highest climate and community benefits consistent with the fund’s intent.

City officials also confirmed council will continue to evaluate parks levy timing and may refer a parks levy to voters to sustain park services. Several officials urged that long-term strategies — including unified housing planning and alternative financing models — will be needed to address structural budget pressures and homelessness.

The commissioners asked follow-up questions about program outcomes, dispatch protocols and metrics; officials said further details and data could be provided to TSCC staff after the hearing.