Portland Street Response Funding
At a glance
Based on uploaded (human-made) captions.
- What: how to pay for the bureau and expansion proposed in the Portland Street Response Advisory Committee Report, against a city budget gap.
- Where it stands: staff estimate about $144,000 a year for the structural changes alone (reclassified director and program lead positions plus a half-time committee staffer); the cost of 24/7 expansion is not in that figure. No budget action yet.
- Contested: Councilor Smith cites a $170 million deficit and wants offsets and no more one-time money; Councilor Kanal says the real gap is smaller and points to Portland Solutions as the place to look.
- Next: Councilor Smith asked for the full cost of 24-hour operation and for the program to come back within a month with ongoing programs it would cut. The executive side will hold a prioritization discussion.
Costs discussed
- About $36,000 a year to reclassify the program director position; about $30,000 a year to bring one program lead to the same level; half-time staff for the advisory committee; about $144,000 a year in total (per Stephanie Howard).
- Councilor Smith expects the full figure with 24-hour staffing and benefits to be much larger.
Funding positions
- Smith: Multnomah County is the public health authority and should fund mental health and homelessness services; youth crisis response is beyond the city's core business; asked for return on investment.
- Kanal and Councilor Morillo: it is a public safety responder fed by 911, so it belongs with the city; the structural cost is small.
- Medicaid: 24/7 operation is required for CAHOOTS Act Medicaid funding; lower-rate Medicaid is also possible; both depend on federal action. An outside evaluation of the program is out for proposals.
Sources
- https://www.portland.gov/council/agenda/community-and-public-safety-committee/2026/10/20
- Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GdJHDMGINsU (uploaded human captions)
Discussion time
About 34 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-20 - Community & Public Safety Committee | 34 |
Log
- 2026-10-20 - Community & Public Safety Committee - Smith asked for firm numbers and offsets; Howard gave about $144,000 a year for structural costs; Kanal and Morillo rebutted the deficit framing and the case for moving the program to the county; Smith asked for full 24/7 cost.