In early February of last year, newly installed Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made a bold announcement: By June 2023, the county would move 300 people living in tents in and near downtown Portland off the streets into apartments. Dubbed “Housing Multnomah Now,” the initiative would begin by dramatically reducing visible homelessness in the heart of Oregon’s largest city, then expand to housing even more people living outdoors in east Multnomah County, she said. The drive, backed with $14 million, would attract private landlords by guaranteeing them a full year’s rent plus additional help if a tenant proved problematic. A year later, however, the program has only placed 37 individuals or households in apartments, according to a tally by The Oregonian/OregonLive. While the rollout has been maddeningly slow, housing caseworkers say the program has brought some game-changing resources to the table. Read more at the link in our bio. 📸: Multnomah County #housingcrisis ...