Imagine proposing to save households making over $250,000 the cost of one coffee per month—by cutting $17.5 million annually from housing services. That’s exactly what’s being proposed in reducing the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) tax rate.
What does $17.5 million annually actually do in our communities? A lot. For example, $17.5 million could fund a year of rent at $1,400/month, $5,000 in move-in costs, and case management for 500 households. That’s more than 25% of Multnomah County’s population experiencing unsheltered homelessness who could access stable housing and support.
Programs like Washington County’s Housing Careers Pilot Program illustrate the transformative impact of such funding. This innovative program, led by partnerships between Portland Community College, IRCO, and Open Door Housingworks, provides intensive training and paid internships to individuals with lived experience of homelessness. Specifically recruiting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ participants, the program offers not just training but also comprehensive support, including stable housing and career coaching.
As Erin Meechan, a member of ROC, puts it: “These are people who have come from the streets, cars, couches…to now be the providers of the resource and how impactful that is overall. Success in sustainability has many facets—one of them is being housed and the second is passing the same forward to the next person.” It’s programs like these that are at risk if the proposed cuts to SHS funding move forward.
The Welcome Home Coalition has suggested an alternative approach: raising the income threshold for those who pay the tax rather than reducing the tax rate altogether. This change would address concerns about the tax’s impact on households at the lower end of the high-income scale without jeopardizing critical funding for housing services.
With potential reductions in federal housing investments potentially looming, maintaining robust local resources is especially important. Let’s stick to our collective promise to address homelessness and ensure every neighbor has access to stable, affordable housing.
Join us in standing up for our communities and protecting investments in housing stability. Click the button above to send an email to Metro Councilors or to sign on in support of the Welcome Home Coalition’s proposal.