PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The current structure of addressing homeless issues is too fragmented with 15 separate groups or levels, the Joint Office of Homeless Services told Multnomah County commissioners.
That’s why they are proposing to reorganize to cut the number of committees in half to focus more efficiently on housing, care, equity, East county concerns, along with being able to act more quickly on the advice of professionals in the field.
“Figuring out how they all talk to one another has been an ongoing puzzle, sort of like sudoku sometimes,” said Joshua Bates, the interim deputy services director for the Joint Office. “Really that has been an ongoing issue for A Home for Everyone is figuring out what alignment looks like between all of these groups.”
The Joint Office told the commissioners it plans to bring a plan to vote on in a couple months. They hope to have it running by April or May.
