Multnomah County will redirect around $20 million to preserve homeless shelters and housing programs threatened by a significant reduction in state funding.

The county Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday to divert funds designated for other programs and tap into $3 million in state money earmarked for the 2027 fiscal year to close a substantial deficit in its Homeless Services Department.

Department Director Anna Plumb warned that the fix was just a Band-Aid and that the county would continue to face budget shortfalls and uncertainty going forward.

“We do want to acknowledge that we have more discussions coming our way that are going to be even more difficult than the ones we’ve had with you over the last month,” Plumb told the board.

The board has been reassessing spending a

See Full Page