Clackamas County gets $10 million from governor for recovery campus; board approves thank-you letter

Chair Roberts opened the meeting by announcing that Governor Kotek extended Oregon’s state of emergency on unsheltered homelessness and, as part of the declaration, awarded $10,000,000 to Clackamas County to support the recovery campus. County staff said the award was made at the governor’s discretion and does not require legislative approval.

Commissioners praised the governor and staff for the outcome and reviewed a draft thank-you letter in the meeting packet. Commissioner Savas moved to approve the letter, the motion was seconded by Commissioner Schroeder, and the board approved the letter in a poll vote of 4–0. Chair Roberts said all five commissioners would sign; staff noted Commissioner West asked to be included despite being out of the office.

After the vote, Commissioner Savas asked county staff and project partners to engage directly with neighborhood meetings to address neighbor concerns and to emphasize that the county intends for the facility to be a “good neighbor.” Staff confirmed they will coordinate community outreach and leverage prior experience with similar facilities.

The board’s approval covers only the thank-you letter; the award itself and project implementation will follow standard county procedures and any required subsequent approvals.