During a Monday press conference, members of the Oregon Mayors Association asked for almost $125 million annually in state funds to support ongoing programs to address homelessness. The proposal would be introduced during the 2023 legislative session.
The mayors association say they were grateful to receive one-time emergency funds during the pandemic, but they've done everything they can with limited resources.
鈥淐ities are the direct epicenter of this crisis, and we鈥檙e the ones being held accountable for the homeless response,鈥� said Mayor Lacy Beaty of Beaverton. 鈥淏ut cities have not received direct funding to solve this issue from the state.鈥�
Beaty said the funding request would be introduced in the 2023 legislative session. It would be allocated to all Oregon cities based on population size. Cities would receive $40 per resident, with a $50,000 minimum annually, if approved by state lawmakers. The funds would be directly given to all cities, without the need for an application or grant proposal.
The money would be used for homelessness response and prevention services, including shelter operations, outreach and food bank assistance. Cities could use the funding for their own homeless services, or give it to local community partners.
The state鈥檚 rural mayors say their homelessness problems aren鈥檛 being given enough attention, and this funding model would ensure equitable access to the funds.
鈥淚f funds go only to cities with highly visible challenges, root causes of homelessness are left untreated,鈥� said Dayton Mayor Beth Wytoski. 鈥淣ot only is this inequitable, it鈥檚 also ineffective.鈥�
Wytoski says grants and county allocations heavily favor larger cities, which have the resources and staff to manage applications.
Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis said they need an ongoing funding commitment from the state, rather than one-time dollars.
鈥淭he danger that we鈥檙e facing is without continued financial support from the state, we won鈥檛 be able to sustain the work that we鈥檝e done. What the community will experience is a backsliding,鈥� Vinis said.
She highlighted the use of funding to open safe sites in Eugene, which offer sleeping space, showers, meals and access to service providers.
The proposal has support from mayors of Oregon鈥檚 largest and smallest towns, including Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who said the funding would be critical to his released in October.
The mayors of Medford, Ashland and Klamath Falls are also in support of the proposal.
On top of annual funding, the proposal also includes allocations for capital construction for specific shelter and transitional housing projects at a one-time cost of $125 to $175 million statewide.
Mayor Beaty said Beaverton has been working on building a year-round homeless shelter, but rising construction costs mean the city hasn鈥檛 been able to complete the project.
鈥淲e need additional support from the state to close the gap,鈥� she said.
Despite working closely with gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek on the proposal, Beaty said, it isn鈥檛 a partisan issue and every candidate for governor has made homelessness a top priority.
