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Portland‑Multnomah staff propose 12 KPIs to measure homelessness system; numeric goals deferred until after FY27 budget
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Summary
City and county staff recommended a "definitions" package of 12 Key Performance Indicators for the homelessness response and a process to set numeric targets after FY27 budgets are finalized; modeling presented showed a 50% increase in system effort would be needed to bend the homelessness curve modestly.
City and county officials on Nov. 13 reviewed a proposed set of 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) designed to measure system‑level performance across inflow, safety, outflow, care coordination and data/evaluation.
"These KPIs are intended to be broad measures that look at the system as a whole," Ryan Deibert, deputy director of the homelessness response system, told elected officials. He said the SOC recommended adopting the KPI definitions now so elected bodies and staff have consistent metrics to use during the FY27 budget process, while numeric goals would be set after budget baselines are known.
Deibert presented baseline dashboard numbers: the system has sheltered or housed nearly 20,000 people over the last seven quarters, is newly housing roughly 300 people per month on average, and is sustaining more than 8,500 people in supported housing. He and staff highlighted a persistent gap: inflow into homelessness has averaged roughly 1,300 people per month while outflow averages about 1,100, producing a net increase of roughly 200 people a month.
To illustrate the scale of change implied by KPIs, staff modeled multiple investment scenarios. "To get a modest downward bend — about a 1% month‑over‑month decrease — our math suggests we'd need roughly a 50% increase in overall level of effort," Deibert said. He cautioned that a much larger decline would require near‑doubling system effort and significant resource inflows that are unlikely in the current fiscal environment.
Several councilors questioned the governance of goal setting and the delegation of detail to the SOC, saying elected officials should weigh in on sub‑indicator choices that affect vulnerable subpopulations. Commissioner Brim Edwards and others asked for more clarity about which pieces are administrative (definition & reporting) and which are legislative (numeric goals and funding commitments).
Staff said the near‑term vote the bodies are being asked to take is to adopt the definitions document (the "what" to measure). The SOC will return in July 2026 to set numeric goals (the "how much") after the FY27 budget process provides actual fiscal constraints and revenue information.
What happens next: County and City votes on KPI definitions are scheduled for early December; staff will provide additional briefings and modeling to support budget deliberations.
