Many reforms are needed to effectively reduce homelessness, according to a new study by the Portland-based ECONorthwest consulting firm.
The study, commissioned by newly formed local Homeless Strategies and Solutions Initiative, looked at Measure H, a multi-billion dollar supportive services tax and spending measure approved by Los Angeles County voters in March 2017. It found that the vast majority of LA voters believe homelessness have gotten worse since the measure approved, despite the $1.8 billion it has raised and spent over the past five years.
According to the study, Metro's supportive housing services measure approved by regional voters in May 2020 was modeled after Measure H. It is raising $225 million a year to reduce homelessness. The study found that increased spending alone is not likely to reduce the number of homeless living on the streets. Other reforms are required to make progress that regional residents will see, including the creation of much more housing of all kinds.
"The Portland region needs to build around 14,700 units annually for the next 20 years, with special attention to affordable units," the study said.
Metro officials agree.
"It's important to note that we are in the midst of a nationwide failure of the housing market. Housing construction has not kept up with population growth, and housing prices have soared all over the country. Here in greater Portland, we're working on a two-pronged approach: Building affordable housing to make up for the market failure, and paying for supportive housing services to help people in need," Metro spokesman Nick Christensen said.
Portland and Metro voters have approved affordable housing construction measures, but they will produce nearly enough new units. Mayor Ted Wheeler has called for the creation of 20,000 more units of affordable housing in coming years, but has not identified a funding source.
Here are the six recommendations in the ECONorthwest report, titled, "Postcard from the future: What can Portland learn from the implementation of Los Angele's Measure H?"
• Remember that accelerated housing production is the long-term solution to the region's homelessness crisis. As in Los Angeles, the Portland region's homelessness crisis finds its roots in a chronically underbuilt housing market. The Portland region needs to build around 14,700 units annually over the next 20 years, with special attention to affordable units.
• Get clear, and realistic, about the relationship between housing placement activity and changes in the annual Point in Time homeless count. The regional count should not be the sole outcome by which the measure's success is judged, but it will inevitably be one of them.
• Establish a goal and timetable for reductions in street and shelter homelessness. Street and shelter homelessness are narrow but highly visible aspects of the region's larger housing instability crisis.
• Systematically manage the region's encampments and set public expectations that street homelessness will persist at gradually lower levels. Addressing the crisis in a way that is consistent with community values is not a quick process. The best path forward involves acknowledging and addressing street homelessness, at gradually lower levels, during the implementation of "supportive housing services" — that is, wraparound services for those being placed in homes or shelters.
• Fully leverage a new relationship with the Built for Zero movement (which identifies all homeless people in real time). Among the more promising developments in the early stages of implementing supportive housing services is the new partnership with the national nonprofit, Community Solutions, and its Built for Zero work.
• Learn from LA's self-described systemic dysfunction and identify a central entity that is accountable for Metro's supportive services measure outcomes. The program is organized by the three Portland-area counties but housed at Metro because the geography of taxation made sense, not because the agency had deep expertise in the provision of supportive housing services. Consequently, a policy area already challenged by interagency coordination now has an additional agency in the mix.
• Remember that accelerated housing production is the long-term solution to the region's homelessness crisis. As in Los Angeles, the Portland region's homelessness crisis finds its roots in a chronically underbuilt housing market. The Portland region needs to build around 14,700 units annually over the next 20 years, with special attention to affordable units.
• Get clear, and realistic, about the relationship between housing placement activity and changes in the annual Point in Time homeless count. The regional count should not be the sole outcome by which the measure's success is judged, but it will inevitably be one of them.
• Establish a goal and timetable for reductions in street and shelter homelessness. Street and shelter homelessness are narrow but highly visible aspects of the region's larger housing instability crisis.
• Systematically manage the region's encampments and set public expectations that street homelessness will persist at gradually lower levels. Addressing the crisis in a way that is consistent with community values is not a quick process. The best path forward involves acknowledging and addressing street homelessness, at gradually lower levels, during the implementation of "supportive housing services" — that is, wraparound services for those being placed in homes or shelters.
• Fully leverage a new relationship with the Built for Zero movement (which identifies all homeless people in real time). Among the more promising developments in the early stages of implementing supportive housing services is the new partnership with the national nonprofit, Community Solutions, and its Built for Zero work.
• Learn from LA's self-described systemic dysfunction and identify a central entity that is accountable for Metro's supportive services measure outcomes. The program is organized by the three Portland-area counties but housed at Metro because the geography of taxation made sense, not because the agency had deep expertise in the provision of supportive housing services. Consequently, a policy area already challenged by interagency coordination now has an additional agency in the mix.