Federal funds save most of Portland s next budget April 29 2021
Mayor Ted Wheeler is proposing to use $29 million in emergency aid to offset city revenue losses caused by COVID-19.
When COVID-19 first shut down the economy, Mayor Ted Wheeler was facing a $20 million general fund shortfall in the city budget that takes effect on July 1.
But Wheeler unveiled a proposed general fund budget for the next fiscal year that is actually $2.7 million larger than the current one, thanks primarily to federal American Rescue Plan funds proposed by President Biden and approved by Congress. For the Portland City Council, the opportunity of 2021 is to work collaboratively to make investments that will help us continue to recover from the pandemic, Wheeler said when the proposed budget was released on Thursday, April 29. The budget I propose reflects my commitment to change and my optimism about Portland s future.
Wayne Niederhauser, Utah's new homelessness coordinator, says the state doesn't need additional shelter space, so long as it can help people transition into permanent housing more quickly.
Doubling down on failing plans and ideas put both homeless residents and taxpayers at risk.
Remember Portland s 10-year plan to end homelessness by 2015? The plan fizzled out, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment.
Roughly $70 million flowed into affordable housing production, homelessness prevention and support services each year. Despite all these efforts and all that spending, the number of homeless continues to rise in the Portland area.
Portland s homeless service response during the pandemic reveals how quickly taxpayer money can evaporate with no effect. In June 2020, the Joint Office of Homeless Services began providing motel vouchers totaling more than 400 bedrooms across eight buildings by late 2020. The monthly bill to run these programs is more than $2.2 million per month. That s roughly $1,900 in rent per bed plus $1.4 million in services every month.