Multnomah County’s Homeless Services Department has proposed closing 675 shelter beds as one tactic for addressing an $87 million hole in its budget for the next fiscal year.
The news is a blow to shelter providers, who said it would be an immense challenge to house the people currently staying in those beds. While not every bed that would be defunded is currently full, there are still close to 600 people facing the loss of their shelter spot in three months’ time.
“We lack both the staffing and budget to find solutions in 12 months, let alone 120 days,” said Andy Miller, director of Our Just Future, which operates one of the shelters that could be closed. “We’re really concerned. We’re looking to the county and the city to find any relocation resources that might be necessary.”…