Wilson behind on goal of ending unsheltered homelessness in a year
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: City of Portland
Mayor Keith Wilson ran for office with a singular focus: ending unsheltered homelessness in Portland in his first year.
Why it matters: He isn't on track to meet that goal.
The big picture: Wilson claimed victory Dec. 1 on reaching his goal of creating 1,500 new overnight shelter beds.
- But critics say it's unclear how the mayor's strategy will result in fewer people experiencing homelessness.
What they're saying: "My stated goal is to have a bed available for anyone who wants one, and we've delivered on that," Wilson told Axios in an email. "Since January, we've opened 1,566 shelter beds across Portland."
Yes, but: It takes some creative math to get to that number.
- When he made the announcement, just 890 of those beds were actually available, per OPB, with locations for another 600 or so identified but not yet open.
- And a walk through downtown shows that there are still plenty of people — nearly 7,500 as of September — living without shelter in Multnomah County.
The other side: Marisa Zapata, director of the Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative at Portland State University, said she's been confused by Wilson's strategy from the start.
- "Ending homelessness is not about providing shelter," Zapata told Axios. "It's about providing housing."
- She noted that many of the new shelter beds don't offer access to services — behavioral health, addiction treatment or case workers — so they act more like a Band-Aid than a cure.
What's next: Wilson intends to shift his focus to housing, noting that he created a strike team to find city-owned sites that can be converted to homes, move more quickly on permitting and development, and fill existing vacancies in affordable housing.
- A real estate analytics firm found earlier this month that some 1,900 affordable housing units were vacant despite thousands of people in need.
- Wilson said his administration is working to match people in shelters with available housing and "expanding rental assistance to help with deposits and move-in costs."
Zapata cautioned that the city will need to go big.
- "We can't just do a little bit," she said, nodding to the relative success of some city and county housing initiatives. "Our affordable housing measures have outperformed, and we still don't have enough housing."
The bottom line: Wilson acknowledged that much work remains, but said his first year represents "real progress in a crisis that has felt intractable for far too long."