Clatsop County staff presented an overview of the county's homelessness infrastructure and the social-service partnerships that support sheltering, treatment and housing.

County staff explained the county primarily coordinates and contracts with service providers while state and federal funding pay for many core services. "The county's role is to coordinate the partners and to administer contracts with the providers," staff said, describing a system that includes emergency shelters, supportive housing, mental-health and substance-use treatment, and workforce development supports.

Staff reported Clatsop County has 202 emergency shelter beds and listed several new permanent-supportive or transitional housing projects that are already leasing or in construction, including a 42-unit development in Warrenton, a 55-unit project in Seaside, and other projects (Baker Building 32 units; additional projects adding about 204 units in the pipeline countywide). Staff said an additional city RFEl site adjacent to the county property could add roughly 60to 75 workforce housing units depending on the affordability formula the city chooses.

On services, staff said the county contracts to support a countywide homeless liaison and described a deflection program that has enrolled 49 people, with 21 graduates so far. Staff warned that cuts at the federal and state levels, and reductions to grants such as the behavioral health resource network ("burn" funds), make the system fragile and leave little county capacity to backfill losses.

Commissioners asked for more outcome data. One commissioner asked staff to report success metrics from partner agencies (re-housing rates, person-nights served) and noted concerns about parts of the unhoused population who decline services.

Next steps: staff will provide updated performance numbers to the board and continue coordination with cities and providers; the board will discuss housing and economic development in upcoming work sessions.