Multnomah County may resume tent-tarp handouts

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County is proposing a new policy to resume tent and tarp handouts to homeless people, just months after they paused the program following sharp criticism and a lawsuit against the City of Portland.

The new proposal is to resume the handouts with tighter controls in place during cold and severe weather. The tighter controls include one tent per person for sleeping, discouraging use on sidewalks or other public lands, and with tents that are more durable, waterproof and fire resistant.

The plan is to review results in April 2025 and the earliest this plan could be in place would be the end of November following public comment.

“Our goal, my goal in leading this work, is to adopt a policy that effectively balances the ongoing needs to distribute lifesaving supplies with the recognition that we need to properly manage the environmental, financial and accessibility impacts of the tents in our community,” said Dan Field with the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

This past June, Multnomah County paused the program after the Joint Office of Homeless Services gave out more than 6000 tents and 24,000 tarps over the previous year to non-profits who then gave them to the homeless.

During city cleanups of homeless camps, the city got rid of many of them.

City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, one of the leading candidates in the race for Portland mayor, is one of the harshest critics of the tent handouts.

He told KOIN 6 News this shows some progress and he’s glad it’s in writing, but said the plan doesn’t meet the ADA standards set out in the lawsuit against the city. Gonzalez said this plan incorporates some of what he wanted but there aren’t enough limits on how often a tent or tarp can be handed out.

And, he added, when there is a winter weather emergency, the shelters in the area have a “no turn away” policy.

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Lisa Balick

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