This opinion piece is written by Grant Hartley, Multnomah County Director of the Metropolitan Public Defenders.

On June 12, Multnomah County Commissioners will vote on the Chair’s current 2026 budget proposal. The budget proposed cuts to several vital programs designed to assist the most vulnerable members of our community. These community members include people at risk of eviction, families in shelters and people currently and recently involved in the criminal legal system. Often at the root of criminal involvement is a deep need for stabilizing services. But, even after a criminal case is over, there is a need to reduce barriers to housing and employment to keep people from reentering that system; to keep them housed and employed so they can provide for themselves and their families. 

Five key programs providing stability services are facing budget cuts

The current budget proposes to cut not one, but five programs at Metropolitan Public Defender that work to stabilize people at all points of instability. Without these programs thousands of individuals and families will be launched back into homelessness, addiction and the many struggles associated with poverty.

Case management: Connecting those most in need to vital services

The case manager program (#25131B) connects indigent individuals charged with crimes to connect with stabilizing services. Navigating our complex service network is impossible for individuals who are struggling with houselessness, substance use disorder, or mental illness – and yet these are the people most in need of those services. Unfortunately, these are also the people who often find themselves entangled in the criminal legal system. By embedding case managers in the public defense office, the county ensures that those individuals who need services the most, those who would otherwise be unlikely to engage, are connected. This provides stability for the individual and safety for the community, and it ensures full utilization of the resources that the county has worked so hard to create.

Programs that invest in stability for community members

• The Eviction Prevention Program (#25131C) defends households facing eviction and prevents homelessness. Unlike the majority of landlords, most tenants have no legal help. Eviction cases are the fastest moving civil cases in Oregon. In less than a month a family could be on the streets. Outcomes for tenants without a lawyer are significantly worse than if they have representation. Having an eviction on a person’s record not only stands as a barrier to getting into new housing, it also often comes with debt and homelessness.
  
• Program offer #31000 provides legal services to reduce barriers to housing for individuals and families in the homeless services system, including eviction expungement, landlord debt settlement, housing denial appeals, criminal record expungement, and other legal services. With shelter beds costing $22,000 a year, investing in legal services that cost on average $562 per person is a smart investment.

Programs that clear legal barriers to housing and employment

The Project Reset program and the Expungement Access System Improvement program allow low-income residents to clear old debts with the court and expunge their criminal records. This clears the path for employment opportunities, housing stability and the reinstatement of driver’s licenses. It allows people to move beyond their time of criminal involvement, homelessness and instability and opens possibilities so that they may join the workforce and provide for their families.

A call to action: Contact your county commissioner

The Multnomah County Commissioners vote on the proposed budget on June 12. By June 11, please reach out to your county commissioner and tell them that funding these programs demonstrates their commitment to the health and safety of Multnomah County. By connecting our most vulnerable citizens to stabilizing services, we can guide individuals out of the criminal legal system, out of homelessness, and into employment and stability. Solving our county’s problems requires a holistic approach to public safety. That approach must seek to support and assist individuals who are struggling, rather than merely punishing them. 

> Contact your commissioner now.

See related post: Budget Process: Your 2025 Guide.