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Multnomah County Housed 1,463 People with Metro Tax Dollars Last Year, But Homelessness Still Grew
Multnomah County spent $168.7 million in Metro homeless services tax dollars in fiscal year 2026, placing 1,463 people into housing and keeping 4,592 others housed, yet more residents became homeless than were housed for the sixth straight year. The county is now cutting 600 shelter beds amid a 21.7% budget reduction, raising questions about the tax's future as it reaches its midpoint.
Multnomah County used $168.7 million in Metro supportive housing tax dollars to place 1,463 residents into housing and keep another 4,592 people in their homes during fiscal year 2026, according to a report released Tuesday. But the annual accounting also confirmed a troubling trend: for the sixth consecutive year since voters approved the regional tax in 2020, more people became homeless in the county than were housed.
The report comes as the 10-year measure reaches its midpoint, with Metro leaders potentially seeking renewal as early as this year. The tax, approved by voters in 2020 with the promise that it could "end our homelessness crisis," has faced mounting skepticism as homelessness continues to rise across the Portland region.
Andrew Hoan, president of the Portland Metro Chamber and an architect of the original tax, said the measure's inability to reduce overall homelessness amounts to "horrific failures" and "squandered" resources. "Writ large, the measure had a goal," Hoan said. "It is not meeting its goal."
Advocates for the tax argue the picture is more complicated. The dollars can only be used to help people who are already homeless move toward housing, and they do nothing to address the rising regional cost of living that pushes people onto the streets in the first place. The path from shelter to permanent housing is rarely direct.
"Don't tell me the tax dollars don't work because look at me," said Phillip Pollard, a formerly homeless chef who moved into a subsidized apartment this summer with help from county-funded shelter and housing services. He now covers rent with his Social Security income.
The county's report shows that 80% of its Metro tax dollars were spent by the Homeless Services Department, with 14% going to the behavioral health department for addiction and mental health services. Of the funds spent by the Homeless Services Department, one-third went to shelter and 29% to supportive housing for people who need ongoing services to live independently.
Beyond housing placements, the tax dollars helped more than 1,700 people avoid eviction, sheltered more than 4,400 people over the course of the year, and opened 201 new permanent housing units for people requiring continued support.
But the county is now contracting. Facing a 21.7% cut to its Homeless Services Department budget, Multnomah County has slashed its shelter budget and closed more than 600 shelter beds. County leaders say the goal is to use remaining beds more efficiently and move people into housing faster, a strategy they project will reduce homelessness by 5% over the next two years.
Nathaniel VerGow, the new director of the Homeless Services Department, used the report's introduction to make a case for renewing the tax. "I have been deeply impressed by this region's commitment to solving homelessness," VerGow wrote. "This dedication is most clearly evidenced by the voters who made this work possible by approving the Supportive Housing Services measure in 2020."
Public opinion may complicate that pitch. Polls have shown the measure is not especially popular with voters, and a plan to ask voters to approve a new homeless services tax in 2025 was shelved. Since then, proposed federal cuts to housing aid have underscored the importance of a local funding source, though those efforts have so far been blocked by federal court challenges.
Annual reports on spending in Clackamas and Washington counties are expected soon.