Opinion: Revitalized Joint Office of Homeless Services demonstrates value in continued partnership [Video]

Dan Field

Field is director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services.

I made a big leap in April 2023 — leaving a long career in health care to lead the Joint Office of Homeless Services for Multnomah County and the city of Portland. I knew I was signing on to a tough job, and I’m glad I did.

This time last year, the Joint Office was the subject of criticism, primarily the result of underspending the millions of dollars entrusted to it through the Supportive Housing Services measure, a tax on high-income individuals and businesses passed in 2020 to fund homeless services.

Beyond underspending, our workforce was tired from pandemic efforts to add hundreds of shelter beds and drained by consistent leadership turnover. The office, created to coordinate homelessness response efforts by the city and county, was caught in political crosshairs that only made the work more difficult.

I took the job understanding the struggles ahead, …