PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson delivered the annual "State of Multnomah County" address at OMSI on Monday, her second turn at the podium since she was elected to the role in 2022.
A livestream of the event did not capture roughly the first 15 minutes of the county chair's speech, but the county provided the full text of her remarks.
After some initial introductions, Vega Pederson began by saying that the county's job is to "help people on their hardest days and provide a safety net for those whom our greatest systems fail" — describing the county as one hobbled by both ongoing problems and failed policies of the past.
She listed decades of federal disinvestment in housing, a broken and unaffordable child care system, a historic lack of treatment and services for people who struggle with addiction or mental illness, people entangled in the criminal justice system, and the issues of food and transit deserts.
According to the county chair, the good news is that Multnomah County residents' tax dollars are helping, although she did not cite specifics on those metrics. Vega Pederson said she wants to build on "last year's success" in the coming year.
"(We must) continue to make meaningful strides to address homelessness, the fentanyl and drug crisis, new behavioral health resources — including sobering and deflection — and investments for community safety across the entire county," she said.
Vega Pederson said her proposed budget for next year fully funds county jails, adult parole and specialty courts, but she's particularly proud that the county is preparing for the rollback of Measure 110 and drug recriminalization on Sept. 1 by setting up a "deflection program" — a way under the new law for substance users to avoid jail time despite being caught in possession of drugs.
"This is a short and aggressive timeline, but we have prioritized this work to ensure that when law enforcement have the tools they need to keep our communities safe, they also have the tools to directly connect someone to services for their addiction," she said. "Without clear action, too many more people will be caught in the justice system.
"I have convened an executive team that includes leadership from the city, law enforcement, the courts, the district attorney's office and the treatment community to rapidly make decisions. I have hired a coordinator to focus fully on being ready for September 1 and beyond. We have mobilized staff from across impacted departments — and we will make this deadline."
Vega Pederson largely avoided specifics in favor of sweeping statements, but where she did share numbers was in reference to funds raised by the Supportive Housing Services tax — which were notoriously underspent into fall of last year. She said that the county has already spent $91 million this year, which is a vast improvement.
She also detailed a plan that she and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler previously announced to ramp up shelter capacity and better address homelessness:
"In the next two years we will house and shelter 2,700 more people; we will add an additional 1,000 shelter beds and hundreds of behavioral health beds; we will increase the number of adults leaving shelter for permanent housing by at least 15%; we will make sure 75% of people placed in permanent supportive housing are still there 24 months after placement; and we will reduce homelessness among specific priority populations, including people of color and people identifying as LGBTQIA2S+.
"This homelessness response action plan brings together everyone to work from a shared roadmap: health care providers, our justice system, housing providers, service providers, crisis responders, our government partners at all levels."
As a county commissioner, Vega Pederson championed the county's Preschool for All tax, which promised to create 12,000 new, publicly-funded preschool seats by 2030. Vega Pederson highlighted the program in her speech, noting the need to continue building it up in order to meet that goal. Thus far, it's created 2,000 preschool seats.
Vega Pederson also praised the county workforce, the people who keep it "grounded" in its values.
"Our employees do incredible work — and they are always looking to improve on our excellent services and be a leader in our region," she said. "I want Multnomah County to continue to be an employer of choice and for our employees to feel supported in their work. Last year, I committed to revitalizing our Workforce Equity Strategic Plan, and this year we are moving into action. This plan gives us accountability, better tools for evaluation and turns the suggestions we've heard and the goals we've set into action to change the daily lives of our workforce and the people we serve.
"While many other counties and states are running away from racial justice and diversity and equity work, I am doubling down. Our county is addressing disparities in our services head on, and we are focused on ensuring every member of our community has a chance to live, rise, and thrive. This is hard work. It is uncomfortable. It is critical. And we are digging in at Multnomah County."