In the past month, Welcome Home members and community advocates have spoken out to protect investments in pathways that connect with and sustain housing. We are pleased to report that our collective voices were heard, and key budget amendments were passed in Multnomah County!
Over the last month, community advocates like you made your values heard, and local leaders received almost 300 emails asking them not to cut the programs we know work – rent assistance, case management, and other support services. We are happy to report that thanks to our collective efforts, Multnomah County passed amendments to increase investments in stable housing services.
Four crucial amendments were approved by the Commission: an increase in funding for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) which pairs rent assistance with support services, maintained funding for employment programs for individuals experiencing homelessness, investments in housing placements in East Multnomah County, and the restoration of legal services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The reality is that even after these amendments, our region still has budgets that are disproportionately investing in emergency shelter while cutting proven housing assistance programs. Yet, what the Multnomah County budget amendments show us is that if we act collectively, we can steer our leaders towards more effective and efficient solutions.
Unfortunately, at the City of Portland, there were no significant amendments passed to protect long-term housing solutions. With a new council interested in housing solutions, we remain hopeful that we can work together to help the city rebalance its homeless response system. We must continue to support good policies put forward by city leaders, such as Councilor Morillo’s amendment to fund rent assistance and legal support for renters. Preventing homelessness in the first place is the least expensive way to address homelessness. We need leadership that will center both empathic and efficient policy solutions.
Currently, our region’s overinvestment in emergency shelter paired with cuts to funding for housing assistance is not resulting in the safety for homeless residents that it promises. Data shows that since our region adopted its current sheltering approach, deaths have quadrupled. These dire consequences are a result of critical gaps in our region’s housing system. We know the solutions that work – rental assistance and other social supports.
To do this work, last week, Welcome Home gathered for our first all-member meeting of 2025 to further strategize how to help ensure policymakers choose effective housing solutions. In the face of catastrophic cuts to social services, gathering together to dream of a better future for our region is an exercise in resistance. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us!
During our meeting, four emergency shelter providers presented on how they have been able to move over 80% of households into stable housing. The presenting organizations, Path Home, NW Housing Alternatives, Family Promise, and Raphael Housing, all ensured that their budgets funded the services that move people from shelter into housing – rent assistance, case management & peer support specialist positions.
Ultimately, all four of the shelter programs remained deeply committed to the same end goal – to connect clients to stable housing from the moment they connect with the organization. With broad cuts to rent assistance approved by the state this morning, our local budget must increase rent assistance and case management funding to ensure that providers like these can continue to provide safe shelters that are a pit stop on the way to stable housing.
On the topic of rent assistance – at the state level, the legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee voted yes to slashing rent assistance funding by 80%. These budget cuts are alarming in the face of unprecedented housing instability. Cutting housing-focused funding will result in more instances of first-time homelessness and put more pressure on a failing system. We must keep the pressure up because there is still time to save it! Follow the link below and take one minute to send an email to Legislative Leaders now!