Portland, Oregon, Mayor Keith Wilson’s Budget Proposal Would Cut More Than 950 Shelter Beds

Portland could lose more than 950 homeless shelter beds under Mayor Keith Wilson’s proposed budget, according to a report by Alex Zielinski of OPB. The proposal reflects lagging support for Wilson’s new emergency shelter system from other local governments, and it marks a swift reversal of the plan Wilson tied to his mayoral campaign. The closures could begin as early as July 1, as homelessness remains a dominant issue in the Portland metro area.

Wilson entered the mayor’s office in January 2025 with a promise to quickly open 1,500 new overnight-only shelter beds. Last year, Multnomah County, Metro Regional Government, and the state gave the city tens of millions of dollars for that work, but that money has nearly disappeared in the second year of his term. At a Tuesday budget hearing, Skyler Brocker-Knapp, director of Portland Solutions, said, “This reduction is a result of past reliance on one-time funding. We are just simply not going to receive the same level of funding next year.”

Multnomah County, Metro, and other metro-area counties have rejected Wilson’s request to continue funding his shelter plan. The state’s housing department has promised over $2 million, after giving over $10 million last year. Because of these changes, the city’s shelter program, housed in an office called Portland Solutions, faces a 30% cut to its current budget. To bridge that gap, Wilson proposes pulling funds from 951 shelter beds.

Some closures have already been announced. The city previously said it would close the 200-bed Northrup Shelter in the Pearl District and the 96-bed Centennial Shelter in outer East Portland. The budget proposal also suggests removing all 38 pods at Weidler Safe Rest Village, previously called the BIPOC Village, which was created to support homeless people of color. The Reedway Safe Rest Village in the Lents Neighborhood would close, losing pods that can accommodate up to 156 people. The city aims to move some of those pods to the North Portland Road Safe Rest Village.

That North Portland site, in St. John’s, would lose parking space for RVs that currently shelter 91 people. On Tuesday, several city councilors raised concerns about relocating other pods there, which would bring the total to around 212 pods, enough to accommodate 275 people. Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney said, “I want to add my voice to the echo of voices who are concerned about the size of that North Portland space,” adding that the location is “a pretty significant distance from services.”

In October, Wilson announced that the city would pay for 80 beds at CityTeam Grand, a privately run shelter in the Central Eastside. The budget plan cuts funding for all 80 beds. According to CityTeam Executive Director Lance Orton, that will effectively shutter the shelter, which has offered meals, shelter, and work for people experiencing homelessness on SE Grand Ave. for over 25 years, a practice of hospitality toward neighbors in need (Matthew 25:35). Orton told OPB the organization will focus on its new, privately funded Old Town shelter. Down the street, Transition Projects, Inc. runs a 140-bed city-funded shelter for people in recovery, and the budget suggests closing 40 of those beds.

The plan also addresses “flex” shelter beds. Part of Wilson’s shelter plan created financial reserves that could quickly open 250 additional emergency beds if needed, and the budget cuts that resource. The budget does propose some new beds, funded by $30 million the city has historically shared with Multnomah County to run county shelters. That includes 158 beds at North Portland’s village, relocated from shuttered shelters; 90 beds at the River District Navigation Center, a shelter previously run by Multnomah County, which the county says it can no longer fund; and funds to quickly expand capacity at current shelters in an emergency.

Accounting for the additional beds, the net loss of funded shelter beds under the budget plan is 511.

Source: Read the original report