Portland’s efforts to address its homelessness crisis received a boost as the Steering and Oversight Committee (SOC) for the Homelessness Response System (HRS) gained two new non-voting members, Anna Allen and Laura Suarez. As reported by Multnomah County, critical gaps within the committee’s framework are designed to guide the resourcing of actions within the Homelessness Response Action Plan, although the body itself does not craft policies or budgets.
The SOC, now a complete assembly with five voting and five non-voting members, relies on a consensus approach for input, the latter category consisting of community voices and experts, with elected officials taking the final vote, “The Steering and Oversight Committee is actively making decisions and taking action on our most pressing issues as we consider our response to our homeless crisis and how to best serve people,” Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson explained, as per Multnomah County. Each of the newly confirmed individuals meets specific criteria outlined for the committee positions, with Allen representing a taxpayer’s perspective from outside Portland and Suarez offering her expertise in behavioral health.
Anna Allen steps in as a taxpayer representative from the Supportive Housing Services measure, a resident of Troutdale, and a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes who has spent over a decade navigating and influencing collaborative efforts across tribal governments, public agencies, and community-based organizations for the creation of equitable community programs, “As a Native American woman, I am no stranger to the harmful impacts of systemic racism and government funded houseless service systems,” Allen said, as stated by Multnomah County…