City Council renews homeless contract with Multnomah County

Multnomah County is one step closer to sheltering the homeless after Portland City Council voted to approve a partnership between the city and the county on Wednesday, July 3..

The choice to continue funding the Joint Office of Homeless Services came as a surprise for some after representatives for the city and county have blamed each other for not doing enough.

“This intergovernmental agreement is the result of over a year’s work between the City and County that has included every voice on both of our boards,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a joint statement with Multnomah County chair Jessica Vega Pederson. “Ultimately, this work is about creating an accountable system that delivers results for our community — a pathway to safety and housing for people experiencing homelessness and a thriving community for everyone.”

The 3-2 vote – supported by Wheeler with Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio and opposed by Commissioners Dan Ryan and Mingus Mapps – passed a new three-year deal with the county to work on sharing services and dollars.

KOIN 6 News is a news partner of the Portland Tribune. Their full story can be found at koin.com .