I
I PROMISE
I PROMISE I'M A LITTLE INSECURE AND THIS IS THE STORY.
LET'S GET STARTED.
>> AND WE'RE GOING TO JUMP
RIGHT INTO THE BIG STORY
TONIGHT WHICH BRINGS BACK TO
OUR HOMELESSNESS CRISIS RIGHT
IN THE FOREFRONT AS IT REALLY
ALWAYS HAS BEEN.
>> IT'S ABOUT A COMMENT FROM
PORTLAND MAYOR TED WHEELER
DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE
EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE
OREGONIAN.
OREGONIAN. THE MAYOR SAID THE CITY AND
COUNTY TOGETHER HAVEN'T DONE
ENOUGH TO GET HOUSELESS PEOPLE
OFF THE STREETS AND INTO
SHELTERS.
SHELTERS.
SHELTERS. AND IF THAT DOESN'T CHANGE, THE
MAYOR SAYS PORTLAND'S
PARTNERSHIP WITH MULTNOMAH
COUNTY IS OVER.
MAGGIE VESPER TAKES IT FROM
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> SAFE, STABLE HOUSING IS
CRITICAL TO MAINTAINING THE
PUBLIC'S HEALTH.
PUBLIC'S HEALTH. MAYOR TED WHEELER THREATENED
THIS WEEK TO PULL THE CITY
OF PORTLAND AND ITS TENS
OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
FUNDING OUT OF THE JOINT OFFICE
OF HOMELESS SERVICES AND OFFICE
.
.
. >>
. >> THE
. >> THE CITY CURRENTLY RUNS WITH
MULTNOMAH COUNTY.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY. THE THREAT CAME DURING AN
ENDORSEMENT INTERVIEW WITH THE
OREGONIAN EDITORIAL BOARD
MONDAY.
MONDAY.
MONDAY. WHEELER IS UP FOR REELECTION IN
NOVEMBER AGAINST OPPONENTS
SARAH IANNARONE.
SARAH IANNARONE. IN MONDAY'S INTERVIEW THE MAYOR
SAID HE WANTS TO ZERO IN ON
HOUSING THE CHRONICALLY
HOMELESS THOSE SEEN LIVING ON
THE STREETS DOWNTOWN AS PART
OF THAT FOCUS.
HE SAID HE WANTS TO OPEN 300
NEW SHELTER BEDS IN PORTLAND BY
NOVEMBER IF COUNTY LEADERS
CAN'T OR WON'T FOLLOW SUIT.
HE TOLD THE PAPER THE CITY
OF PORTLAND WILL GO ITS OWN
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. BASICALLY HE'S ARGUING THE
JOINT OFFICE NEEDS TO BE MORE
AGGRESSIVE IN GETTING PEOPLE
OUT OF TENTS AROUND THE CITY
AND INTO SAFER SHELTERS.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY CHAIR
DEBORAH KAFOURY CALLED THE
MAYOR'S THREAT OUTRAGEOUS.
>> WHEN DID YOU LEARN THAT
MAYOR WHEELER WAS CONSIDERING
PULLING THE CITY OF PORTLAND
OUT OF THE PARTNERSHIP?
>> THAT IS THE JOINT OFFICE
OF HOMELESS SERVICES.
I LEARNED THAT THE MAYOR HAD
SAID IN HIS OREGONIAN OREGONIAN
INTERVIEW YESTERDAY THAT HE WAS
CONSIDERING PULLING OUT OF THE
JOINT OFFICE.
JOINT OFFICE. SO I LEARNED IT FROM THE
OREGONIAN.
OREGONIAN. HERE'S SOME BACKGROUND.
>> THE CITY AND COUNTY FORMED
THE JOINT OFFICE IN 2016 AS A
WAY TO STREAMLINE THE WORK AND
FUNDING BOTH WERE ALREADY
POURING INTO HOUSING.
THE JOINT OFFICE'S 20 21 BUDGET
IS SEVENTY FIVE POINT TWO
MILLION DOLLARS.
MILLION DOLLARS. THE CITY AND COUNTY ARE EACH
FOOTING JUST OVER 32 MILLION
OF THAT WHILE MUCH OF THAT
MONEY GOES TOWARD PROVIDING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR FAMILIES
,VETERANS AND OTHER GROUPS.
THE JOINT OFFICE CURRENTLY
PROVIDES 14 HUNDRED BEDS IN
HOMELESS SHELTERS YEAR ROUND.
OFFICIALS ESTIMATE JUST OVER
TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE
SLEEPING ON THE STREETS IN
MULTNOMAH COUNTY AND THEY
BELIEVE THAT NUMBER IS RISING
THANKS TO JOB LOSSES DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. >> AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING
THAT'S SO FRUSTRATING FOR ME IN
THIS IS KNOWING THAT ON ANY
GIVEN NIGHT 12000 PEOPLE ARE IN
A HOME BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT
WE'VE DONE.
WE'VE DONE. AND THAT ANY TALK
OF DISMANTLING THE JOINT OFFICE
IS GOING TO SCARE FOLKS AND
PEOPLE WILL FEAR FOR THEIR
LIVES.
LIVES.
LIVES. >>
LIVES. >> MAYOR TED WHEELER HAS OFTEN
TRUMPETED THE JOINT OFFICE'S
SUCCESS.
SUCCESS.
SUCCESS. THE PUSH FOR 300 BEDS HAS
STARTED ABOUT A MONTH AGO WHEN
HE PROMISED TO HELP BUSINESSES
STRUGGLING IN DOWNTOWN.
>> WHETHER IT'S HELPING SUPPORT
BUSINESSES THAT HAVE HAD
UNINSURED LOSSES, WHETHER IT'S
SHARING THE COST OF HELPING TO
CLEAN THE GRAFFITI.
>> IN A STATEMENT WEDNESDAY,
THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE
JOINT OFFICE WERE SOFTER
WRITING.
WRITING.
WRITING. I AM PREPARED FOR AN HONEST AND
TRANSPARENT CONVERSATION ABOUT
WHERE WE ARE COLLECTIVELY
SUCCEEDING AND WHERE WE AREN'T.
KAFOURY SAYS OFFICIALS WERE
ALREADY WORKING TO OPEN
HUNDREDS MORE SHELTER BEDS
ABOUT THE MAYOR'S THREAT.
>> SHE ADDED THAT'S NOT A
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY THAT I THINK
IS GOING TO WORK.
>> AND SPEAKING OF THE MAYOR'S
OPPONENT SARA IANNARONE SENT US
A STATEMENT.
A STATEMENT. IT READS IN PART I STAND WITH
CHAIR KAFOURY AND THE THOUSANDS
OF HOUSELESS INDIVIDUALS WHO
BENEFIT FROM THE JOINT OFFICE
OF HOMELESS SERVICES.
HOUSE LESSNESS IMPACTS ALL
OF US.
OF US.
OF US. AND THIS IS NO TIME FOR
POLITICAL GAMES.
POLITICAL GAMES. OK, MAGGIE VSP JOINING US NOW.
>> SO PART OF THIS TO ME SOUNDS
A LOT JUST LIKE POLITICS BUT IF
I WERE ONE OF THE THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE RELYING ON SOME
OF THESE SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT ARE PROVIDED THROUGH THIS
PARTNERSHIP, I'D BE VERY
CONCERNED THAT THEY COULD BE
GOING AWAY.
GOING AWAY. SO IS THAT CONCERN VALID RIGHT
NOW?
NOW?
NOW? SO
NOW? SO AT THIS POINT I GUESS IT'S
FAIR TO SAY THERE'S NO
DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THAT.
THE MAYOR SAID WHAT HE SAID
THAT SAID CHAIR BEFORE HE TOLD
US SHE DOES NOT SEE THE CITY
BACKING OUT OF THE JOINT OFFICE
OF PUBLIC SERVICES.
SHE DOES NOT THINK THIS IS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND ONE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT
HUNDREDS THOSE HUNDREDS OF BEDS
WERE ALREADY.
WERE ALREADY. SHE SAID IN THE PIPELINE TO BE
OPEN THEY JUST HAVEN'T MADE A
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT IT.
AND SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE DOES
THINK THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN BY
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER. ALL THAT SAID AGAIN, IF THE
CITY DOES BACK OUT OF THE JOINT
OFFICE OF HOMELESS SERVICES NO
ONE WE TALKED TO TODAY KNOWS
BASICALLY HOW THAT WOULD WORK,
HOW THESE FUNCTIONS WOULD WORK
MOVING FORWARD WHICH AGENCY OR
WHICH GOVERNING BODY WOULD TAKE
WHAT SHELTERS OR WHICH
SERVICES.
SERVICES.
SERVICES. THERE'S JUST NO PLAN FOR THAT
AT THIS POINT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.
BUT IF IT HELPS ALLEVIATES
HELPS ALLEVIATE PEOPLE'S
STRESS, SHE DOESN'T SEE THIS
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. >> DID DID DEBORAH KAFOURY
SPEAK TO THE MAYOR ABOUT HIS
COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT HE SAID?
NO.
NO.
NO. SHE
NO. SHE SAID SHE HAD NOT TALKED TO
HIM YET.
HIM YET.
HIM YET. >> SHE ALSO POINTED OUT THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT WE'VE KNOWN AT
COVERING THE JOINT OFFICE.
THE MAYOR MAYOR TED WHEELER HAS
BEEN IN CHARGE OF PORTLAND'S
HOUSING BUREAU FOR YEARS,
MEANING HE'S BEEN PART OF THE
TEAM THAT DECIDES HOW THE JOINT
OFFICE SPENDS ITS MONEY.
SO SHE SAID THAT WAS KIND OF A
BIG REASON WHY SHE WAS SO
SURPRISED BY THIS PUBLIC
THREAT.
THREAT.
THREAT. AND AGAIN, SHE SAID IT WAS THE
FIRST TIME THAT SHE HAD HEARD
THAT BECAUSE THIS IS COMING
FROM SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN PART
OF THE GROUP THAT DECIDES AGAIN
HOW THE JOINT OFFICE FUNCTIONS
.
.
. AND
. AND IN
. AND IN HIS STATEMENT TODAY I DO
WANT TO POINT OUT BECAUSE THAT
SECOND STATEMENT CAME OUT HE
SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE TO
PRIORITIZE LIVABILITY AND
PUBLIC SAFETY.
PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT SAID, HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO
INTERVIEWS.
INTERVIEWS. SO THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT WE GOT
FROM HIM.
FROM HIM.
FROM HIM. THAT FULL STATEMENT IS THAT KGW
DOT COM.
DOT COM.
DOT COM. ALSO WORTH NOTING THE
OREGONIAN'S EDITORIAL BOARD
REMEMBER THAT'S THE WHOLE
REASON WHY THIS INTERVIEW
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. THEY HAVE NOT DECIDED WHO
THEY'RE ENDORSING IN MAYORAL
RACE YET.
RACE YET.
RACE YET. THAT IS DUE