Saturday, November 12, 2022

Portland City Council Votes to Adopt Housing Plan & Camping Ban, and Mayor Wheeler Proposes $27M "Down Payment" for Sanctioned Camps

Last week, the Portland City Council approved policies proposed by Mayor Ted Wheeler to create six designated camping sites and phase in a citywide ban on unsanctioned camping.

The City Council directed city bureaus and council offices to work together to identify policy and regulatory adjustments, investments, and public-private partnerships to catalyze the production of 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2033. The council also directed these agencies to "pursue immediate actions to reduce the cost of building housing in Portland that is affordable to middle- and lower-income residents." For more details on last week's resolution, visit Portland.gov.

During Thursday's fall budget adjustment work session, Mayor Wheeler proposed an immediate $27 million city budget down payment to help build the approved camping sites.

Proposed funds included campsite preparation and construction costs, as well as staffing salaries, a city-employee Navigation Team "to increase connection with individuals experiencing homelessness and available services," private security contracts "for surrounding neighborhoods and business districts of designated camping locations," expanded staffing for the City Incident Command team, and additional funding for the Impact Reduction Program.

The council will vote on all proposed budget adjustments next Thursday, Nov. 17th.

For more information, visit Portland.gov.

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