Correction appended

Multnomah County's proposed budget tops last year's unprecedented investment in homeless services by $3.2 million -- an acknowledgement that Portland's homeless crisis is growing.

Last year, the county added $10 million to their usual spending. The money went to open new shelters and to programs to keep residents in their houses or find places for them after they become homeless.

It was the county's highest priority last year.

This upcoming fiscal year, Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury wants to do even more.

Kafoury proposed $20.6 million total to homeless services as the county's contribution. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler hasn't released his budget yet. It is expected Monday.

The new includes at least two pilot programs -- one for people on fixed incomes who need long-term rent assistance and one targeting people on the edge of eviction to keep them in their homes. Her budget address also shouted out the county's continuing effort to increase shelter for families with children.

Some of the money will go to convert year-to-year programs into an ongoing budget priority -- indicating that they will be around for years ahead.

The joint city-county homeless services office opened about 600 new shelter beds in the past fiscal year, which cost about $8,000 each per year. The office also contracts with a variety of nonprofits and community organizations to provide outreach and support services to people on the edge of eviction, already on the street or in new homes to help them stay there.

Multnomah County is facing a tough budget year, and Kafoury noted she asked department heads to try to trim unneeded programs and administrative costs.

In her budget address, Kafoury noted that the 2015 homeless survey counted nearly 4,000 people and a new survey is expected to return similar results. That comes despite the homeless services office reporting more people helped than ever before.

The success of the region's effort to help homeless people depends largely on both the county and city devoting large sums.

"My budget keeps our commitment in place and I had to make some tough trade-offs to make this happen," Kafoury said last week in her state-of-the-county address. "I'm counting on Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city commissioners to make good on the city's commitment to this work."

Wheeler told The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier this year that it's one of his top priorities.

Some of the homeless office's services also rely heavily on state and federal funds, which are up in the air as the Legislature debates a budget and Congress faces a possible federal government shutdown due to budgetary jockeying.

"The question before us is how do we maintain our humanity and our ability to keep Multnomah County a community that people want to – and can afford to – live in?" Kafoury said.

Kafoury proposed keeping $2.7 million in a discretionary fund in case federal and state program dollars go away.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services receives funding from both Multnomah County and Portland City Hall. The total proposed funding of the office from both agencies for fiscal year 2018 is about $57.8. A previous version of this article said that the county's funding of the office was $57.8.



-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger