Corrections: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the status of a Temporary Alternative Shelter Site in North Portland, and initially included a financial figure for city spending given during a public meeting that has since been updated to more accurately reflect city expenditures on campsite removals.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson made homelessness the hallmark of his campaign, vowing to end unsheltered homelessness in Portland. Now, he says he’s ready to deliver on that promise.
Wilson laid out a plan Wednesday, January 22, to add 1,500 overnight shelter beds, improve shelter capacity, and expand services in an effort to end unsheltered homelessness in the city by December.
“We’re in quicksand,” Wilson told city councilors, emphasizing how overwhelmed the city is by Portland’s homelessness crisis. Wilson cited a 65 percent increase in homelessness from 2015 to 2023. The latest estimates peg Multnomah County’s unsheltered homeless population at 5,400. The city's Impact Reduction Team spent about $6.3 million on campsite removals last fiscal year.
While formulating a plan for Portland, he says he looked to cities like Boise, Boston, and Philadelphia, some of which successfully ramped up shelter availability in a year or less.
For Portland to accomplish the same, the mayor said it will take an emergency response approach to the issue. Wilson and city staff outlined a “flex” model to increase or decrease shelter capacity, depending on seasonal needs. The model calls for 1,500 overnight shelter beds December through March 2026, but 1,050 beds April through September of that year. Wilson asserts overnight shelter beds are the missing resource in the region's current shelter network.
The mayor’s plan, in brief
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Goal is to add 1,500 nighttime shelter beds by Dec. 1, with an additional 1,500 added to the overall shelter supply from a combination of public/private partnerships, as well as the Joint Office of Homeless Services, for a citywide total of 3,000 new shelter beds;
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Adds 450 nighttime emergency shelter beds by June, at a cost of nearly $1.6 million;
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Imposes 90-day stay limits on 24-hour shelters;
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Adds a network of day centers, with one in each Council district;
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Calls for a crackdown on “camping, unregistered vehicles and dangerous RVs”;
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Reduces reliance on 24-hour shelters, primarily due to their operational costs;
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Will cost an estimated $15.3 million for overnight shelters next fiscal year
The forthcoming shelter expansion will be in addition to the 200 winter shelter beds recently opened by the city and county, currently operated by the Salvation Army.
Stressing the magnitude of the problem and urgency of response required, the mayor pointed to the most recent “Domicile Unknown” report, which recorded a 477 percent increase in deaths of unhoused people in Portland from 2017 to 2023. In 2023, at least 456 people with no known address died in Multnomah County. Wilson said the report “shocks the conscience” and sends a message to the public that government initiatives haven’t worked.

office in December. Wilson says an influx of new overnight shelter
beds will help the city end unsheltered homelessness. sean bascom
“They’ve begun to associate increased spending and the promises we've made with increased suffering, not progress,” Wilson said of public perception. “Our victories ring hollow when the public sees unsheltered homelessness and ‘“Domicile Unknown’” deaths rise year after year after year.”
Despite newly released data showing overall foot traffic Downtown is up 54 percent since 2021, signaling modest, but steady improvement, Wilson described a city of “empty storefronts” and “broken dreams,” attributing much of it to the homelessness crisis. He said the current situation makes Portland “one of the least desirable” places in the US to live.
“Because of this, our tax base is declining,” he added.
Last week marked the first time the city's newest elected leaders sunk their teeth into Portland's homelessness crisis since taking office.
Potential shortcomings
While the ambitious plan calls for a significant increase in overnight shelters, it won’t provide full capacity year-round. Instead, the goal is to have all 1,500 beds available during winter months, then scale back during warmer months when sleeping outside poses less of a health risk. According to Wilson’s plan, a scaled approach will significantly reduce costs.
"[As] we start to flex down … we know there'll be no more tents, no more RVs, and no more makeshift shelters, but yeah, there's gonna be people sleeping on the street,” Wilson explained, leaving skepticism about whether Portland will actually end unsheltered homelessness, or just temporarily reduce it.
Cody Bowman, a press officer for the city, said ending unsheltered homelessness is still the primary goal, but the flex model responds to “immediate seasonal needs.”
“During colder months, the demand for emergency shelters rises as people seek refuge from harsh weather. By increasing shelter capacity during these months, we provide critical support when it's most needed,” Bowman told the Mercury. “In warmer months, though shelter needs may decrease, we are committed to continuing our efforts to find long-term housing solutions and ensure no one has to sleep on the streets.”
The plan also lacks logistics for transporting people to and from shelters.
What remains to be seen is how heavily the city will enforce its current ordinance that allows police to jail and/or fine someone living outside who refuses an offer of shelter. By mid-January, six months after the ordinance took effect, KGW reported nine people had been arrested by police for violations of Portland’s public camping ordinance.
“The last thing we want to do is focus on a police response,” Wilson said. “We always want to be there when somebody’s ready [for services],” Wilson said, noting other mayors who ended unsheltered homelessness “didn’t use police to do it.” The mayor insisted his goal is to connect unsheltered people with outreach workers first, rather than police.
While the city is currently focused on large, established campsites for removal, city staff acknowledged that they are currently tagging and towing personal vehicles, boats, and RVs, even though they are no longer allowing additional vehicles at the Sunderland RV Safe Park. Additionally, the Sunderland site is currently scheduled to close in March, unless the city decides to find a funding source and continue a lease with the Port of Portland for the land. The city's temporary alternative shelter site in North Portland is designed to offer 70 RV parking spots, city staff said.
It's also unclear whether the plan leaves room to shift to a housing-first approach to sheltering, which research has shown to be a more effective response.
Council mulls price tag, logistics
Amid a dire budget outlook for the city in 2025-26, city councilors questioned the costs associated with establishing more than 1,000 new shelter beds.
District 1 Councilor Loretta Smith asked pointedly, what the city’s cost burden will be and how much Multnomah County is kicking in via the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
“We’re going into 2025-26; we were just given a letter saying that we have a $100 million [budget] hole,” Smith reiterated. “We are now producing $75 million worth of [shelter] that should be paid for out of the Joint Office. How do you expect us to be able to afford this…?”
Wilson said he and city staff are pursuing “external” funding sources first, including state and federal funds, but stressed that Portland “can’t afford not to do this,” estimating Portland spends “hundreds of millions” in indirect costs and losses to the city.
District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo couldn’t help but point out the daily sheltering costs per person, which are close to, or on par with the average monthly rent for an apartment. Current estimates range from $35 per nighttime shelter bed, to $190 per day at the city’s Safe Rest Villages.
“It just doesn't make sense to me why we would spend this much money on 24-hour shelters when we could be putting people into permanent housing,” Morillo said, noting some people don’t require a host of wraparound services to get back on their feet, and simply need help paying rent. Morillo also questioned whether imposing 90-day stay limits on congregate shelters will backfire, noting it’s “not long enough for most people to get back on their feet.”