NEW: Hales Announces $30 Million For Homelessness
Thursday, October 01, 2015
“We’ve tried slow-and-steady. We’ve tried by-the-book. It’s time to add the tools we currently lack. For too long we have stayed rooted in some realization that these problems can’t be solved overnight. I want to move us to asking ourselves daily what problems can be solved tonight," Hales said.
Hales, who made the announcement with Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, said the investment would go towards A Home For Everyone, a homeless shelter run by the City of Portland and Multnomah County.
“This creates an even greater sense of urgency around A Home For Everyone’s strategic plan,” Hales added.
How the $30 Million Will Be Spent
The money, which includes $20 million from the City and $10 million from the County, will be used to fund shelter beds for women and families, and for new affordable housing units, including mental health housing and protections for tenants who are facing housing instability because of a dramatic rise in rents.
Ten million dollars will be used to create 250 more units for homeless people. $5 million will be used for "shelter operations", $2.5 million for eviction prevention and $12.5 million for housing placement, rent assistance and support services.
More on the Way
Next Wednesday, October 7, the City Council will consider the mayor’s proposal to declare a state of emergency. Doing so would allow the city to expedite permitting and citing for shelters and for building more housing units.
The City of Portland and Multnomah County are also currently working on a plan to house the estimated 200 remaining homeless veterans in Portland. The City is also partnering with Cascadia Health for a High-Intensity Street Engagement Program, which would seek to house those most vulnerable to homelessness.
Related Slideshow: 6 States With The Highest Homelessness Rates
These six states all had at least 300 out of 100,000 people homeless in 2013.
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