The Daily Populous Friday August 23rd, 2024 morning edition
Authored by hoodline.com and submitted by _FishFriendsNotFood_

In a striking demonstration of a joint initiative's effectiveness, nearly 5,500 individuals have been moved out of homelessness and into housing in the last fiscal year. This figure marks a significant 28% increase from the previous year. Moreover, almost 7,900 people accessed shelter through the services offered by the organization, tallying an increase of approximately 35% over the previous year, according to the Joint Office of Homeless Services, as per Multnomah County.

Validating the sustained collaboration between the City of Portland and Multnomah County, the partnership's outcomes stand as testimony to their ongoing endeavor to address homelessness. Notably, the office's data and evaluation team has put forth a dashboard illustrating the department’s strides in facilitating access to housing, shelter, and other services. "These outcomes show what we all know to be true: When we work together, we can create some positive results", Dan Field, director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, said, as cited by Multnomah County.

As the fiscal year 2023 - 24 wraps up, the Supportive Housing Services Measure has notably allowed the Joint Office to serve thousands more, with over 42% of those leaving homelessness benefitting from the said measure. Owing to this, more than 2,300 individuals, or a 76% surge from the previous year, could be rehoused. Furthermore, a County audit has lauded the Joint Office for its contract management and oversight improvements, citing it as a paradigm for other departments.

"The Joint Office not only met — but also significantly exceeded — its Metro-approved target of spending at least 75% of its Supportive Housing Services program budget", Field elaborated, per Multnomah County, indicating the effectiveness of the organization's fiscal strategies. With this year’s budget fully utilized, remaining funds are already earmarked for the next fiscal year, ending a period when significant amounts of unspent money were available.

According-Try3201 on August 22nd, 2024 at 20:12 UTC »

it just needs the will to do it.