Multnomah County approves $20M midyear HSD rebalance, directs focus on housing placements

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted 3–2 on Oct. 31 to approve a midyear budget modification from the Homeless Services Department that uses about $20 million in one‑time funds and reallocated resources to close a roughly $28 million gap caused by reduced state allocations.

HSD presented estimates showing the reduced state allocation would have produced a $28 million shortfall compared with the county’s adopted FY2026 budget; the department proposed a package that draws $6.4 million from a capital set‑aside previously reserved for the East County Homelessness Resource Center, $3.8 million in unbudgeted supportive housing carryover, $4.9 million in state funding and $4.4 million in cost savings created by converting place‑based shelter funding to a scattered‑site motel voucher program. HSD interim director Anna Plumb told the board the plan is designed to "sustain folks in their housing" rather than expand new shelter…