Service providers warn of deep funding cuts, urge Astoria to expand low‑barrier shelter options

Service providers told the Astoria City Council on Oct. 27 that looming state and county funding changes and slow reimbursements threaten shelter, rental‑assistance and food programs across Clatsop County and asked the city for help expanding low‑barrier shelter capacity and public outreach.

The testimony came during a work session where five service organizations were allotted roughly 10 minutes each to explain how budget changes would affect operations. Dustin Martin, chief operations officer of the CCA Regional Food Bank, said his organization distributed roughly 1.3 million to 1.5 million pounds of food across Clatsop County in fiscal 2024–25, with about 460,000 pounds delivered into Astoria — roughly 35% of the regional total. "If SNAP benefits are interrupted, we're in trouble — we're going to run out of food," Martin said, urging donations and use of city distribution sites.

Why it matters: Providers said cuts will reduce already tight capacity in a county they described as having one of the highest homelessness rates per capita in Oregon. Councilors framed the session as both a check on immediate service impacts and a precursor to decisions about enforcement of a camping ordinance that city leaders previously considered.

Providers outlined program impacts and local numbers. Viviana Matthews, introduced as executive director of CCA, described housing, rental and energy‑assistance programs and said CCA has limited rental‑assistance capacity; Andrea Birch, CCA deputy director, said some shelter funding will be reduced by about 50% in the coming fiscal year, forcing reductions in staffing and meals at programs such as Columbia Inn and Esperanza. Helping Hands’ founder Alan Evans said his Uniontown facility logged nearly 15,000 overnight stays in the past year at a 59‑bed site and that his organization faces a funding gap of roughly $260,000 this year. "When we get state money, sometimes reimbursement takes months," Evans said, and that cash‑flow timing forces difficult operational choices.

Councilors pressed providers on two practical concerns: whether people who are unsheltered are mostly from outside the county, and whether the city could lawfully and humanely enforce a camping ordinance if beds were not available. Providers said surveys and intake work indicate most people served have local ties or lived in the county before becoming unhoused, and that a handful of people pass through in summer months. "We don't get into the kind of intake that would track every prior address," Martin said, "but what we've found is most people are local or have local connections." Providers cautioned that enforcement without available low‑barrier options would be ineffective and inhumane.

On capacity, agencies said the problem is not simply total beds but the mix: low‑barrier, walk‑in shelter space differs from family shelters and higher‑barrier programs. Lifeboat Services said it operates a very low‑barrier walk‑in shelter and peer‑support services, but it is at capacity nightly and has been turned down for rapid rehousing funds allocated at the county level; Lifeboat's executive reported a county allocation formula could cut its award by roughly 27% under a proposed distribution. Lifeboat asked the city for help re‑securing an occupancy increase at a commercial building (noted in testimony as "1040 commercial") that would add dozens of beds.

Providers recommended actions the council could take now: (1) amplify advocacy to state and federal elected officials for stable funding and faster reimbursement; (2) use city property and channels to host or publicize distribution and donation drives; (3) explore limited, sanctioned low‑barrier camps or city‑facilitated sites, and (4) allow or facilitate occupancy increases where building‑safety and fire‑marshal rules permit. Council members asked agencies to provide written budget impact statements to the city manager so the council could consider targeted local responses.

Claims and disputes recorded at the session included a recurring community perception that unhoused people are "bussed in;" providers said their surveys and intake work found no evidence of organized bussing into Clatsop County. Alan Evans described the county funding and distribution system as deeply flawed and urged the council to publicly advocate for service providers; he said his organization received $9,000 from the city last year toward an $850,000 annual operating budget for its bed facility.

The council did not vote on any ordinance or motion at the session. Several councilors asked staff to follow up with potential next steps, and the mayor encouraged providers to submit written numbers and budget impacts for the city manager to circulate. The meeting adjourned at roughly 8:01 p.m.

Closing note: Councilor Lum used the meeting to say farewell; the council thanked him for his service.