A Human‑First Approach to Addressing Homelessness
A clear, coordinated, and compassionate framework for helping people move from the street into stability, recovery, and productive lives in Multnomah County.
The Five Principles outline a human‑first, outcomes‑driven approach to addressing homelessness in Multnomah County. They call for unified leadership, coordinated outreach, whole‑person care, evidence‑based prevention, and the protection of our shared public spaces. This framework represents a fundamental shift in how budgets, policies, and programs are structured replacing fragmented efforts with a single, accountable system that leads with compassion and measurable results.
Endorse The Five Principles
The Five Principles offer a clear, coordinated, and compassionate path forward for Multnomah County. Endorsing this
framework signals your support for a system that treats people with dignity, aligns resources under unified leadership, and ensures accountability for real outcomes.
Join community members, organizations, and leaders who believe Multnomah County can and must do better.
ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSING THE FIVE PRINCIPLES
Unified Leadership, Lasting Impact
The Five Principles creates a coordinated, trauma-informed system where every person has the capacity to recover when supported. By aligning leaders and partners around shared accountability, we transform fragmented services into seamless pathways to recovery. Our approach bridges compassion with measurable outcomes, ensuring Portland’s communities receive consistent, dignified support.
Why We Need the Five Principles
Multnomah County homeless policies summary:
- Homeless are helpless victim needing charity
- Record spending, more homelessness
- Plan to continue failed policies with less money
- “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting differentresults”
Five Principles
- Homeless are citizen deserving respect, have rights as well asresponsibilities
- “Success” is return to productive life
- Not policy specific, but results oriented
- Takes whole person, and whole community, into account
Constant Increase in Homelessness
- Homelessness increasing by1.9% per month in MultnomahCounty despite record spending
- Government and serviceproviders see this as proof weneed more money
- We see this as evidence ofPOLICY FAILURE
Order of Magnitude More Homelessness in Multnomah County
- Why does Multnomah County have
9x to 13x the homeless rate of
Metro neighbors? - Clackamas, Washington Counties
treat the homeless as citizens
who need help: Compassionate
Respect - Multnomah County treats
homeless as helpless victim who
need charity: Compassionate
Neglect - No responsibility to help themselves
Example: “Compassionate Neglect” versus “Compassionate Respect”
Multnomah County Deflection Center Compassionate Neglect | Washington County Deflection Center Compassionate Respect |
Person can walk out, no consequences | If person walks out, they go to jail |
If they stay, given list of providers | If they stay, choose from list of providers |
If they call on provider, it is listed as “success” | Escorted to provider, enrolled by case manager |
No follow up, no record of use or completion of services | Case manager follows up monthly, attends graduation |
