Metro attorney rejects People for Portland homeless ballot proposal

A proposed ballot measure to require that most of the money that Portland-area voters designated to reduce homelessness be spent on emergency shelters has been rejected as ineligible for the ballot by the Metro regional government’s legal team.

People for Portland, a relatively new dark money lobbying group, had submitted a ballot proposal requiring that 75% of the Metro homelessness tax voters passed in 2020 be used to create or operate short-term shelters.

As written, however, the group’s petition omitted a required clause and failed to spell out the full text of all the rules it would change, Metro attorney Carrie MacLaren wrote. On top of that, People for Portland didn’t propose new legislation but rather administrative details of existing legislation – and Oregon’s constitution doesn’t allow ballot measure on administrative matters, MacLaren wrote.

It is not yet clear if People for Portland will challenge the decision in court or if they will file a new ballot proposal. The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Metro communications director Neil Simon said the agency would not comment beyond what MacLaren wrote “due to potential litigation.”

People for Portland, which advocates for changes in how local government officials respond to public safety, homelessness and trash, had hoped to change how the estimated $250 million a year in tax money for homelessness services is used. It also sought to compel local jurisdictions to enforce any anti-camping rules on their books.

If it were passed, one effect would have been to divert funding from rental subsidies, supportive services and caseworkers that keep formerly homeless people housed.

HereTogether, the nonprofit that chanpioned the initial homelessness tax, praised the attorney’s decision to disqualify the measure.

“The ballot measure proposed by People for Portland would have done more harm to our unhoused neighbors who are in need of immediate resources and support, and is a disservice to everyone in our community who wants to see our region’s homeless crisis come to an end,” the group said in a statement Friday. “The proposal would be a waste of valuable, voter-approved resources.”

While the People for Portland proposal urged immediate action and solutions, building new shelters likely would have taken years, the coalition said.

“Our unhoused neighbors need to transition indoors as soon as possible. The HereTogether coalition remains committed to pushing everyone, including local governments, to remove the barriers that stand in the way of more immediate action to speed relief for our unhoused neighbors.”