Portland City Council Work Session 09/09/26
Council heard a pitch to add 155 psych beds (55 inpatient, 50 subacute, 50 respite) to fix Portland's behavioral health system, backed by numbers like 775 police behavioral health referrals and 17,000+ overdose calls since 2021. Council loved it and said "go bigger" — but no votes, no dollars locked down. Draft legislative agenda comes September 28, adoption target is December.
Agenda
- 2026-242: Amend the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map for a vacant lot on NW 31st Ave described as Willamette Heights Addition, Block 18, Lot 14 at the request of Portland Parks and Recreation (LU 26-007966 CP ZC)
- 2026-293: August 2026 City Administrator update
- 2026-213: Direct the Portland Bureau of Transportation to evaluate and implement no turn on red restrictions at signalized intersections within the High Crash Network
- 2026-280: Authorize a non-binding term sheet with Rip City Management LLC and Trail Blazers Holdings, LLC outlining the terms for Moda Center arena renovation, operating and lease agreements that will keep the Portland Trail Blazers playing in Portland for at least 20 more years
Summary
Behavioral health became the focus of the city's emerging 2027 state legislative agenda, with Health Share of Oregon and regional partners presenting a proposal to add 55 inpatient psychiatric beds (backfilling recent closures), 50 subacute beds, and 50 psychiatric respite beds, along with a sustainable reimbursement rate for inpatient psychiatry and the removal of barriers to building capacity. Presenters — including Health Share's Dr. Joe Hardman, Multnomah County Health Department Director Rachael Banks, New Narrative CEO Julie Ibrahim, Cascadia Health CEO Jim Schroeder, and city Community Safety Programs Director Stephanie Howard — described a behavioral health system where a lack of 'middle' capacity forces people to cycle through emergency rooms, jails, shelters, and the streets rather than getting the right level of care at the right time. The proposal was described as data-driven, based on modeling by OHSU analysts.
Councilors expressed near-unanimous support and repeatedly urged the city to 'go big.' Several drew connections between untreated mental health and addiction and the city's homelessness, housing, and public-safety challenges, noting that affordable housing is being used as a backstop for a failing behavioral health system. Data was shared showing the strain on city services: the police Behavioral Health Unit received 775 referrals in 2025, Portland Street Response has fielded nearly 60,000 calls since it began, and CHAT has responded to more than 17,000 medical and overdose calls since 2021. Councilors raised concerns about avoiding criminalization of people whose primary need is health care, protecting a 'Housing First' approach, using respectful language, and elevating peer and lived-experience voices. Councilor Zimmerman challenged the county and state health agencies to act more aggressively, and asked to be 'proven wrong.'
No votes were taken at this work session, which was intended to gauge council direction. Director Chase said he now has a strong foundation to continue the work. OGR will return September 28 with a draft legislative agenda and more detailed data, including cost figures and bed counts, followed by additional work sessions in October and November and a targeted adoption of the full legislative agenda in December.
Key Points
- Health Share of Oregon and behavioral health partners presented a data-driven proposal for the city's 2027 state legislative agenda, focused on filling gaps in the behavioral health continuum of care
- The proposal calls for backfilling 55 recently closed inpatient psychiatric beds, adding 50 subacute beds and 50 psychiatric respite beds, creating a sustainable reimbursement rate for inpatient psychiatry, and removing barriers to capacity building
- Councilors expressed strong support and urged going 'bigger and bolder,' with several noting the connection between untreated behavioral health needs, homelessness, housing instability, and strain on city emergency services
Action Items
- OGR and panelists to compile detailed cost figures, bed counts, and supporting data for the September 28 work session
- Staff to share the SOC presentation data referencing higher bed counts
- Director Howard to share city program data (BHU referrals, PSR call volumes, CHAT data)
- OGR to present a draft city legislative agenda showing areas of council consensus on September 28
- Health Share to consider elevating peer/lived-experience input into advocacy planning (per Councilor Ryan's suggestion)
- OGR to return for additional work sessions in October/November and December for adoption of legislative agenda
Issues Discussed (11)
Health Share of Oregon and regional partners presented council with a data-driven proposal for the 2027 state legislative agenda, calling for 55 backfilled inpatient psychiatric beds, 50 subacute beds, 50 psychiatric respite beds, and sustainable inpatient psychiatry reimbursement rates. Councilors voiced near-unanimous support and urged staff to "go big," with no votes taken; a draft legislative agenda is expected September 28 ahead of a targeted December adoption.
Council held a work session on behavioral health system gaps, linking untreated mental illness and addiction to homelessness and strain on city services like Portland Street Response and CHAT. Councilors voiced strong support for a 2027 state legislative push to add psychiatric beds and respite capacity, framing it as key to reducing reliance on affordable housing and emergency services as a "backstop" for homelessness, though no votes were taken.
Portland Street Response was cited as data point during a behavioral health legislative agenda work session, with councilors noting the program has fielded nearly 60,000 calls since its inception as evidence of strain on city services from gaps in the behavioral health system. No specific action was taken on Portland Street Response itself; it was referenced to support the case for expanding inpatient psychiatric and subacute care capacity.
Homelessness was referenced primarily in the context of a behavioral health legislative proposal, with councilors noting that affordable housing has been used as a "backstop" for gaps in the behavioral health system and citing strain data on services like Portland Street Response (nearly 60,000 calls) and CHAT (over 17,000 calls). No specific update on the homelessness response system itself was presented, as the session focused on behavioral health bed capacity for the 2027 state legislative agenda.
Referenced indirectly during a work session on behavioral health legislative priorities, where councilors noted that affordable housing and shelters are being used as a "backstop" for a failing behavioral health system, but no specific proposals or actions on shelter access disparities were discussed.
Not specifically addressed in this meeting; the session focused broadly on a regional behavioral health legislative proposal, with only general references to homelessness and housing strain rather than the Moore Street Shelter specifically.
Councilors and health system leaders linked gaps in behavioral health capacity directly to the city's homelessness crisis, noting affordable housing is being used as a backstop for a failing behavioral health system. The discussion emphasized protecting the "Housing First" approach and avoiding criminalization of people needing health care, though no formal collaboration proposals were voted on.
Health Share of Oregon and regional health partners presented a data-driven proposal to add 55 backfilled inpatient psychiatric beds, 50 subacute beds, and 50 psychiatric respite beds as part of the city's 2027 state legislative agenda, citing gaps that force people into ERs, jails, and shelters. Councilors expressed near-unanimous support and urged going "bigger and bolder," with no votes taken; OGR will return September 28 with a draft agenda including cost and bed-count details, ahead of a targeted December adoption.
Health Share of Oregon and regional partners presented council with a proposal to anchor the city's 2027 state legislative agenda, calling for 55 backfilled inpatient psychiatric beds, 50 subacute beds, 50 respite beds, and sustainable reimbursement rates for inpatient psychiatry. Councilors gave near-unanimous support and urged staff to "go big," with no votes taken but a directive for OGR to return September 28 with a draft agenda and detailed cost/bed data ahead of a December adoption target.
Health Share of Oregon and regional partners presented council with a data-driven proposal for the city's 2027 state legislative agenda, calling for 55 backfilled inpatient psychiatric beds, 50 subacute beds, 50 psychiatric respite beds, and sustainable inpatient psychiatry reimbursement rates. Councilors voiced near-unanimous support and urged the city to "go big," with no votes taken; OGR will return September 28 with a draft agenda and detailed cost/bed data ahead of a targeted December adoption.
Referenced only tangentially, with data noted on police Behavioral Health Unit referrals (775 in 2025) as part of a broader discussion on behavioral health system gaps; no specific staffing expansion or cost plan for the Police Bureau was presented or discussed.