Portland metro area spent $724 million on homeless services in 2024
KOIN ^ | Aimee Plante, Lisa Balick
Posted on 07/12/2025 4:55:16 PM PDT by NoLibZone
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A new report puts a price tag on just how much money is being spent on the homeless in the Portland metro area, and it isn’t small.
A report by ECOnorthwest found more than $724 million was spent in 2024, with that money going to safety, supportive housing and housing placement — along with administrative costs.
The funding comes from local, regional, state, and federal resources to serve the tri-county area of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
According to the report, 43% came from a regional homeless services tax and 14% came from federal dollars. Additionally, the City of Portland contributed the most for the 9% in city contributions, the state offered 5%, and private philanthropy accounted for another 6%
Multnomah County contributed 10% while Washington and Clackamas counties did not.
Most of the funding went toward services for people in Multnomah County, totaling $501 million. This was followed by $135.7 million for Washington County and $87.5 million for Clackamas County.
The report says, “To maximize impact, the region must connect spending to results. That means tracking key outcomes — such as housing placements, retention rates, and reductions in unsheltered homelessness — and using that information to inform funding decisions.”
John Tapogna with ECOnorthwest echoed the sentiment that more needs to be done to maximize the efficiency of every dollar spent on this issue.
“We really haven’t gotten to the point where we can start to look at all these different approaches that we’re taking, look at the spending that’s associated with this and really figure out what’s the most productive use of those resources,” Tapogna said. “That’s increasingly important right now because the growth of these dollars has plateaued.”
In addition, uncertain funding outlooks at the local and federal levels are exacerbating the issue.
“The outlook for federal dollars is not great. Frankly, general fund dollars coming out of the City of Portland and Multnomah County, those are going to have constraints going forward because property tax revenues are not growing in the way that they have in the past,” Tapogna said.
The goal of the report was to promote transparency, and ECOnorthwest recommends the region take a look at its homelessness spending every year or every other year.
Multnomah County Board Chair Jessica Vega Pederson released the following statement in reaction to the ECOnorthwest report:
“This report represents the magnitude of need in our region to help people who are experiencing homelessness find a permanent home of their own.
The high cost of living is pushing more and more people into homelessness at the same time that federal and state funding streams are dwindling. This is a challenge that will require continued collaboration at the regional level – building off partnerships like the Homeless Response System that is currently providing a home and shelter for more people who had been living on our streets than ever before. We remain steadfast in meeting the public expectation that our regional governments will work together to reverse the growing tide of people who fall into homelessness every day.”
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: between6097kper; buyingfraudulentvote; fraud; gettingitgoodandhard; oregon; oregonhomeless; parasites; portland; portlandhomeless
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-38 next last
Spent vs stole.
"“We really haven’t gotten to the point where we can start to look at all these different approaches that we’re taking, look at the spending that’s associated with this and really figure out what’s the most productive use of those resources,” Tapogna said.
1 posted on 07/12/2025 4:55:16 PM PDT by NoLibZone
To: NoLibZone
To: NoLibZone; Twotone
How can any TAXPAYERS even AFFORD to live there?
3 posted on 07/12/2025 5:00:59 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
To: NoLibZone
On zwillow:
4 posted on 07/12/2025 5:03:42 PM PDT by NoLibZone (Trump failures: leaving Antifa off Terror list,Market chaos, Bondi. )
To: NoLibZone
Here’s an idea- they should increase spending on homelessness. LOL.
5 posted on 07/12/2025 5:04:27 PM PDT by nwrep
To: NoLibZone
I saw a stat that the entire state of Oregon in 2024 had 22,875 homeless. Which means they spent almost $32,000 on each individual for that year.
Throwing money at a problem which is not going to be fixed with money. But it keeps bureaucrats employed. Which is the real point anyway.
To: ClearCase_guy
It’s worse than that. The tri-county area referred to in the story has around 12,000 homeless, so that’s about $60K per year for each and every bum. That’s a lot of Thunderbird.
To: ClearCase_guy
They spent almost $32,000
per individual for that year.
8 posted on 07/12/2025 5:08:51 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
To: NoLibZone
Oregon has legal assisted suicide … just sayin' …
9 posted on 07/12/2025 5:10:10 PM PDT
To: Diana in Wisconsin
Most can't.
Just move the heck out of Portland if you can.
10 posted on 07/12/2025 5:16:53 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
To: HartleyMBaldwin
That’s a lot of money. We should all be bums and move to Portland—then see how they do.
11 posted on 07/12/2025 5:17:23 PM PDT by Fungi
To: NoLibZone
12 posted on 07/12/2025 5:17:47 PM PDT by jjotto ("...saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau...")
To: NoLibZone
You can clearly see where the money went.
To: NoLibZone
WOW! that’s a ton of (taxpayers’) $$$$$$$$$
14 posted on 07/12/2025 5:21:11 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
To: Governor Dinwiddie
A drones would work better. Real Oregonians don’t live in Portland.
Cut off all fed$$$$ and let Portland die. To make matters worse, illegal aliens and alien criminals are coming up here now from California in droves.
To: Diana in Wisconsin
“How can any TAXPAYERS even AFFORD to live there?”
Decrepit Hippies to old to join the cause other than their greasy money.
16 posted on 07/12/2025 5:22:51 PM PDT by DAC21
17 posted on 07/12/2025 5:32:11 PM PDT by Gene Eric
To: NoLibZone
If there were 10,000 homeless, that’d $72,400 each. For one year.
To: Steve_Seattle
To continue my thought, that’s $36,200 each, for one year.
To: Jeff Chandler
The homeless industry is booming!
20 posted on 07/12/2025 5:36:38 PM PDT by xp38
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-38 next last
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
