Homelessness is a critical issue for the City of Portland impacting a multitude of service areas and a wide-swath of community members.  As of January 2026, the City of Portland oversees 17 shelter sites (10 congregate shelters, 7 Alternative Shelter Sites with one including an RV Safe Park) to help provide services and reduce suffering of individuals impacted by homelessness.  The data is tracked to improve program transparency of City Shelter Services and was a funding requirement for recipients of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The City started directly operating shelter sites in FY 2021-22 and the data shows that the number of people being served has grown rapidly. Low barrier, high-service models for sheltering are highly desired as a means of creating a supportive, transition space as community members move from the streets to stability.  Portland Solutions has been in collaboration with Multnomah County’s Homeless Services Department to assist community members suffering from homelessness on their journey to permanent and stable housing.

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 Homelessness Management Information System (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.