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The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners plans to vote Thursday on a resolution to take $15 million in unspent money from Metro’s supportive housing services tax and pass it along to the city of Portland to fund its shelters.
If passed, the transfer would mark a change in strategy for Metro and the county. Until now, Metro has sent money to the three counties in its jurisdiction—Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington—and they have guided the spending.
The funds would come from Metro’s own slice of the SHS tax. It keeps 5% of receipts (after paying Portland to collect the tax) to administer the SHS levy. Because of higher-than-expected collections, Metro has $31 million in its administrative fund.
By putting the resolution on its agenda, Multnomah County is betting that Metro will pass its own resolution to use money from the administrative fund to pay the city for homeless services in the field. Earlier this week, Metro President Lynn Peterson introduced a plan to send the money directly to cities, bypassing the counties entirely. The Metro Council has yet to vote on the plan, which requires a change to Metro’s code.
That move comes just weeks after Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson held a press conference to warn of a $104 million shortfall in her homeless services budget. She asked Metro for $30 million to help close the gap. The request for aid has triggered intense scrutiny of the county’s spending practices.
Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said she supports the plan to funnel money from Metro to the city for shelters.
“Since my first day on the commission, I have been a champion for more resources for Portland to tackle the crisis in our neighborhoods,” Brim-Edwards said in a statement to WW. “We know that the county’s work to reduce homelessness is absolutely connected to the city of Portland’s efforts, and we must coordinate services to move individuals from the streets to shelter and basic services and on to housing.”
Mayor Keith Wilson has made shelters a key part of his plan to tackle homelessness and has vowed to find money to open as many as possible.
“Mayor Wilson is deeply grateful for the collaboration and support of our partners at Metro, whose efforts are vital in helping cities address the crisis on our streets,” Wilson spokesman Cody Bowman said in an email.
City Councilor Eric Zimmerman also welcomed the cash.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Zimmerman says. “Since the city has been providing shelter, it makes sense for SHS to fund it.”
The county’s resolution reads: “The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners Resolves: Upon receipt in March 2025 from Metro of $15,000,000.00 of unspent, unprogrammed Supportive Housing Services income tax revenue, Multnomah County will transfer $15,000,000.00 to the City of Portland for efforts that align with Supportive Housing Services.”