Chronic homelessness, often defined by prolonged periods without stable housing, requires targeted interventions, including supportive services, and sheltering solutions. By tracking how many chronically homeless individuals are served in City shelters, the City of Portland can assess the effectiveness of its programs, allocate resources strategically, and work toward reducing homelessness through sustained support and services. Many of the City’s shelter sites are considered low-barrier shelters targeting those that are experiencing chronic homelessness.

Chronic homelessness is rising in Portland and across the United States, reflecting a growing crisis driven by a lack of affordable housing, economic instability, and unmet behavioral health needs. People experiencing chronic homelessness are among the hardest to bring into shelter and long-term housing. Despite these challenges, Portland’s City Shelter Services’ sites are actively working to engage this vulnerable population, offering outreach, low-barrier entry, and supportive services to build trust and encourage shelter stays. Each connection made is a critical step toward stability and long-term solutions, reinforcing the City’s commitment to reducing chronic homelessness.

The City did not have its own shelters until FY 2021-22 when it received funding from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Multnomah County has its own shelters that it directly oversees and that data is not reflected in this dashboard.

Participant data is reported by site operators to HMIS (Multnomah County’s data tracking system).  This data only reflects City of Portland specific sites, and does not reflect the services provided by Multnomah County.  

There may be some duplication in the data but an effort is made to only count individuals once during each fiscal year.

For more information on the City of Portland’s response to homelessness, please visit the Shelter Services webpage.  

For additional and more up to date data concerning Shelter Services’ deliverables, please visit the Shelter Services Data Dashboard.