Ivery much appreciated the thorough and statistically detailed report from Lillian Mongeau Hughes on the homeless situation in Multnomah County, (“ Who is homeless in the Portland area? The latest federal count offers some answers, ” Nov. 4).

It noted there are approximately 14,000 homeless people in Multnomah County, where most of the homeless population in the tri-county region lives. A previous story by KOIN covering an ECOnorthwest report on homelessness detailed that over $700 million was spent by the region on homeless services in 2024.

The math is unfortunate and simple. Dividing $700 million by 14,000 people comes to $50,000 per person in 2024. That $50,000 doesn’t even include Medicaid/Medicare, SNAP food aid or Social Security payments.This indicates that money is not the

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