For some people experiencing homelessness, shelter can be a critical first step—but for many, a job is the path to lasting stability.
Employment programs help people build skills, earn income, and find community. Yet, as Multnomah County prepares its next budget, the Joint Office of Homeless Services is proposing to eliminate all funding for employment services—programs that help hundreds of people transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency each year.
This decision raises a critical question: Can we truly address homelessness without investing in economic stability?
The Role of Employment in Ending Homelessness
Decades of research confirm that employment is a key intervention in preventing and ending homelessness. A recent report by Homeless Strategic Initiatives, commissioned from the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC), underscores this point:
“Employment services can be used to: Increase exits out of homelessness, including by improving the outcomes of other system investments such as emergency and temporary shelter capacity; Improve the effectiveness of short-term rental assistance by improving housing stability and income attainment rates and reducing returns to homelessness; improve housing stability rates in permanent supportive housing and affordable housing.”
—Sean Hubert, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Central City Concern.
When people experiencing homelessness are given access to structured job support, their chances of securing permanent housing increase. Without supported employment programming, systems cannot effectively end the condition of poverty that people exiting homelessness face.
Employment services must be scaled to meet demand and offered in coordination with housing, health care, and social services.
What’s at Stake?
Multnomah County has steadily increased investments in employment services in recent years:
✅ $4.3M in fiscal year 2023
✅ $7.2M in fiscal year 2024
✅ $5.7M in fiscal year 2025
🚨 $0 proposed for fiscal year 2026
The proposed cuts would mean:
- 700 fewer people receiving employment services
- 350 fewer people securing jobs
- 180 fewer people receiving rent assistance tied to job stability
Without these programs, people who are ready and able to work may have nowhere to turn.
Success Stories at Risk
Employment programs like Cultivate Initiatives, Central City Concern, and Stone Soup have transformed lives.
Doll’s Story: From Survival to Stability
Doll Crain was unhoused for over a decade. She started with a few shifts on Cultivate Initiatives’ clean-up crew, then moved up—first as an intern, then as a job retention specialist. Today, she pays her own rent, enjoys stable employment, and even took her first-ever paid vacation last year.
“It changes people’s lives,” Crain said. “There’s a lot of things that keep you homeless. Coming into here, you get to be a part of the community again.”.
Ty’s Story: A Second Chance
Ty Brown was close to relapsing when he got a call offering him a spot in Cultivate Initatives’ job program. He completed the internship, then landed a permanent job with the same organization. Now, he runs the very internship program that helped him get back on his feet.
“The mission and the values along with the people here let me know I had to be a part of it some way, somehow,” Brown said.
These aren’t just individual success stories—they’re proof that employment programs work.
Beyond Shelter: A More Comprehensive Solution
Multnomah County is working to balance its homeless services budget at a time when federal pandemic relief funds have been spent as required, and one-time funds from the regional Supportive Housing Services program have been almost fully deployed.
While maintaining shelter beds is a priority, employment services play a unique role in ensuring that people can leave homelessness permanently.
As Cultivate Initiatives’ founder, Caleb Coder, explains:
“Shelter is needed, but it doesn’t last forever. If we want to be able to serve our community more, we need to put just as much effort and emphasis on workforce and housing”.
Employment services don’t just help individuals—they strengthen the entire system. People who secure stable work are less likely to return to homelessness, making other county investments more effective.
What Do You Think?
As budget discussions continue, the question remains: Can we afford to cut off a proven pathway out of homelessness?
Read more about the proposed budget and the impact on employment programs in The Oregonian’s recent article by Lillian Mongeau Hughes:
🔗 Job Training Programs Can Be a Path Out of Homelessness. Multnomah County May Cut Them.
📖 Read the full Homeless Strategic Initiatives-supported report here:
🔗 The Role of Employment in Ending Homelessness
Let us know your thoughts. Does investing in jobs need to be part of the solution? Email us at info@heretogetheroregon.org.