Oversight committee: regional Supportive Housing Services system largely built; calls for clearer priorities, stronger oversight

Metro and the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Oversight Committee presented the FY2024 regional annual report to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on March 18, saying that counties and nonprofits have built much of the system infrastructure required by the SHS measure but that clearer regional priorities and stronger oversight tools are needed.

"We were tasked with building a regional system of care with local planning, local implementation, and infrastructure," Yesenia Delgado, Metro's SHS manager, told commissioners as she introduced the oversight committee's report. The report covers July 2023 through June 2024 and summarizes county annual reports, regional performance metrics, and the oversight committee's recommendations to Metro Council and the three county boards.

What the report found - Implementation and capacity: The three counties contracted with 103 providers in year three, including 19 culturally specific organizations. Counties reported improvements in contract administration and invoice processing after earlier provider complaints. The oversight committee said the major "growing pains" of initial implementation have largely been addressed and that the system is moving into more of a maintenance stage. - Outcomes and goals: The regional report compared year‑three goals to results. Retention rates for permanent supportive housing (PSH) and rapid rehousing both exceeded the regional target of 85 percent. The report said some housing creation goals were not fully met because developing units and placing households into PSH takes longer than planned. - Supply and demand gap: The oversight committee highlighted a continuing inflow problem: in year three, for every 10 households that exited the homeless services system to permanent housing, 15 new households entered the system. The committee said that long‑term reductions in homelessness require both system investments and broader increases in affordable housing supply.

Oversight committee recommendations The oversight committee presented a set of recommendations focused on four themes: - Regional priorities: Convene stakeholders, under Metro Council leadership, to develop and clearly articulate regional priorities and milestones so counties and providers align investments and the public understands expected outcomes. - Oversight and accountability: Improve the committee's access to timely fiscal and outcomes data and clarify oversight roles so the committee can identify performance problems promptly. The report asked Metro and counties to evaluate whether existing oversight tools provide the visibility and authority the committee needs. - Jurisdictional partnerships and decision making: Clarify roles and decision paths across Metro and the counties so budget and program changes that affect regional outcomes are transparent and discussed among partners. - Provider capacity and partnership: Strengthen supports for community‑based and culturally specific providers, including payment practices (advanced payments, multi‑year contracts), workforce wages, and capacity building.

"As we wrap up the first three years of SHS, the growing pains of the first years of implementation have been largely overcome," Yesenia Delgado said. Mike Savara, co‑chair of the oversight committee, said regional spending has increased as planned and that short‑term housing assistance and shelter constituted substantial shares of year‑three expenditures.

The report also included a personal story from Washington County on how a rapid‑rehousing caseworker helped a survivor of trafficking and domestic violence move into stable housing; oversight members said such stories illustrate program impact while also underscoring the need for stronger regional evaluation to measure system effectiveness.

Board questions and next steps Commissioners asked about the report's definition of PSH, how population A and B are counted, the availability of disaggregated race and lived‑experience data, and how Metro and counties will coordinate next steps. Oversight members said county‑level reports include disaggregated demographic data and that work remains to standardize methodologies across the three counties.

Metro Council has approved the oversight committee's recommendations and the committee said it will pursue a regional evaluation (partnering with Portland State University) and follow up on data‑sharing, regional definitions, and contract practices. Committee members and Metro staff said they will bring more detailed implementation plans, metrics, and timeline proposals to partners for the coming fiscal year.