Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the SHS Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners push for rapid engagement with Metro after projected drop in SHS revenue
Summary
Board members said they were alerted to a lower midyear forecast for Metro's Supportive Housing Services (SHS) funding and urged coordinated outreach to Metro and stakeholders to avoid midyear program cuts and to seek clarity on a proposed measure change.
During closing remarks, multiple Multnomah County commissioners expressed concern about a newly revised forecast for Supportive Housing Services (SHS) revenues administered by Metro and called for rapid engagement with Metro to minimize the risk of midyear program reductions.
Presenters and commissioners said the county had previously been told an expected allocation of $156 million but that a revised December forecast reduced the county share to about $134 million. Commissioners said that drop, if not backfilled, could require midyear reductions to programs funded by SHS and could undercut commitments that voters expect the funding to support.
Several commissioners urged the board to send a coordinated letter to Metro and to press Metro leadership to consider using available carryover or administrative balances rather than reducing grant distributions to counties midstream. Commissioners also asked staff to prepare materials and to coordinate with partners for an urgent stakeholder conversation; staff and board members planned to meet with Metro representatives at an upcoming stakeholder meeting and noted an internal Metro work session and a council first reading in mid to late January.
No formal board directive or appropriation occurred during the meeting; commissioners said they would work quickly to draft a joint response and coordinate signatures so the county could present a unified position to Metro before further calendared actions.
