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Residents press Multnomah County on homelessness, youth behavioral-health cuts and animal-shelter accountability
Summary
Public commenters urged the board to prioritize housing not conditioned on sobriety, to reverse proposed cuts to DCS behavioral-health positions that would remove culturally specific staff, and demanded accountability for alleged failures at Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS).
Several residents used the board's public-comment period to press the commission on distinct, substantive concerns: shelter policy for people experiencing homelessness, proposed cuts to youth behavioral-health positions, and allegations of mismanagement at the county animal shelter.
Jackie Vandross, who identified herself as a Portland State University student and someone recovering from chronic homelessness, urged the commissioners to ‘‘suspend the focus on overnight shelters and redirect those funds into providing housing that is not predicated on sobriety.’’ Vandross said most unsheltered people battling addiction cannot pursue sobriety before having housing and cited low…
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