Multnomah County HOPE team briefs Troutdale committee on outreach-first approach to camps and gaps in authority

Sergeant Brian Gerkman, the sergeant on Multnomah County's HOPE team, told the City of Troutdale public-safety committee that the unit's core mission is outreach: building relationships with people living outdoors and connecting them to social services while using enforcement only when camps create livability or safety problems. The HOPE team was established in 2017; Gerkman said the unit ideally operates with a sergeant and two deputies but currently runs with fewer staff.

Gerkman described an "outreach-first philosophy" that requires time and trust. "The purpose when the sheriff put it together was to, try and bridge the gap that existed between law enforcement and the homeless community," he said, explaining the team often must escort residents into treatment, housing programs or diversion options when people are ready to accept help.

He emphasized legal and logistical constraints that shape enforcement. Gerkman referenced 9th Circuit rulings (Mark v. Boise, Grants Pass v. Johnson) that influenced Oregon policy; he said the resulting state law and subsequent court developments affect when and how camps can be removed. "Oregon state law really lays out how we can remove camps, how we interact with the homeless, and then what needs to happen when we do remove camp from public property," he said, attributing descriptions of the legal framework to his experience working with those rules.

Operational details that fall to property owners were a focal point: Gerkman said camps on public land must receive a 72-hour bilingual (English and Spanish) posting before cleanup, personal property removed during a cleanup must be stored for 30 days, and the cleanup itself generally must occur within seven days of posting. He stressed the sheriff's office does not own contract-city property and therefore cannot unilaterally schedule or pay for posted cleanups. "Whoever's owning the owner or controller of that property, like the city of Troutdale or Metro or Port of Portland, they have to be the ones to say, we want this property cleaned or we want this camper moved," he said.

The presentation covered vehicle camping complexities: deputies try to avoid towing cars that serve as a person's shelter and encourage vehicle campers to move periodically to avoid prolonged occupancy that triggers local ordinances. Towing RVs is financially complicated because towing, storage and disposal must be paid up front; Gerkman said Troutdale is one of the East County cities that budgets for RV towing, which reduces disputes there.

Gerkman also outlined partner organizations working with the HOPE team, including Peer Company (formerly the Mental Health Association of Oregon), Fourth Dimension (Gresham 4D) and others. He said outreach staffing fluctuates because teams and funding ebb and flow. The sheriff's office received a federal grant to hire a mental-health clinician and a peer support specialist; a contracted peer support specialist is assisting the team, but hiring a permanent clinician has proven difficult because grant-funded positions are time-limited and background-check requirements complicate hiring people with lived experience.

Committee members pressed deputies about sanitation near water supplies and the location of camps after the Thousand Acres cleanup. Gerkman said much of Thousand Acres is federal land or Department of State Lands property, limiting the county's ability to relocate campers on federal holdings. He noted seasonal shifts in the population and said the annual point-in-time count may not capture summer influxes from Portland.

Committee members and staff requested follow-ups: a county crime-data analyst and outreach partners could be asked for more granular counts and mapping, and the committee asked the sheriff's office to return with additional operational details if needed. Gerkman offered to come back to brief the committee on specific camps or enforcement processes.