PSU published their findings around homelessness and homeless services in April 2026. They surveyed 541 people who had recently experienced homelessness. Nearly half said they wanted continuous support from the same person, and of the 160 who reported having to move because of a sweep or campsite removal, nearly half reported losing contact with services or people who had been helping them. Among those who were displaced, 25% missed a housing appointment, and 26% lost contact with a housing worker.
What my ReBoot proposal confronts is a major issue identified by both this Pathways report and HSD Director Nathaniel VerGow in a recent Street Roots interview: Continuity of care.
It isn’t a shortage of referrals, or that Portland’s underfunded service providers and agencies should somehow work harder, or ‘smarter’ – it’s the critical and repeating ‘last mile’ between a person who needs services and the continuity of care and service that gets interrupted. Every ReBoot participant receives a lead Navigator, independent of the agencies, or non-profit partners that provide them services.
ReBoot navigators would work across those existing organizations and County and City services, keeping people connected when responsibility changes hands or circumstances change.
The point of ReBoot, ultimately, is that we act before that minor misstep, like no bus fare that causes a missed appointment, becomes a major disconnect.
I supported Mayor Wilson’s urgency on shelter capacity, but his success metric was misguided and is another example of mistaking activity and capacity for outcomes. More beds, yet unsheltered homelessness rose.
We need to measure outcomes, like moving from shelter into housing, continuity through handoffs or City-directed displacement, and ultimately, stability – someone permanently housed and self-sufficient.
