City Outreach Team

In Fall 2023 The City of Portland established its own City Street Outreach Team in response to the growing need for local outreach services. This team of compassionate and dedicated full-time City employees engages with people experiencing homelessness and connects those individuals with appropriate support and resources. 

What is street outreach? 

View full size image of City Outreach worker leans down to speak with a person sitting on the curb

Street outreach brings services to people where they are at. Instead of holding hours in an office or clinic, outreach professionals work outside, helping make services for people experiencing homelessness more accessible. Street outreach providers come to the work with a wide variety of lived and professional experience. The City team includes staff with specific training in trauma informed engagement, clinical social work, Emergency Medical Services, nonviolent conflict resolution and case management. 

Outreach professionals build relationships and trust with people, taking time and care to determine each individual’s specific needs. The City Street Outreach Team identifies existing barriers and helps people navigate the complicated and often confusing social services network, connecting them to existing shelter, health care, and other resources to support them in their journey toward stable housing. 

Expanding an existing outreach network 

View full size image of City Outreach worker kneels on the street, writing in a notebook, in front of a person sitting in chair.

The City identified a need to employ its own team of outreach professionals as the number of people living unsheltered in our area continued to grow, and the need for outreach far outpaced the available resources and staff. Additionally, as the City of Portland’s shelter portfolio expanded, the City needed an on-the-ground team to help people experiencing homelessness access available shelter options. 

The City's Street Outreach Team adds to an existing network of outreach already in place across the Portland area. 

Part of a bigger picture: A new approach to Portland's homelessness crisis

The City of Portland believes everyone in our community has a role to play in stemming the tide of rising homelessness, and, in that spirit, is ready to engage in new, ambitious, and creative initiatives that help more people find assistance, resources, shelter, and housing. 

The City of Portland now proudly operates 7 Alternative Shelter locations that offer tiny home pods and, in the case of North Portland Road RV safe park village, a safe and legal place to park lived-in vehicles. The City has also recently opened over 1,000 overnight shelter beds at a growing list of locations across Portland. Managing referrals to these shelter sites is an important part of the City Street Outreach Team’s work. 

The City's Street Outreach Team also offers outreach upon request via 311. People experiencing homelessness can contact 311 or ask another community member to do so on their behalf. An outreach worker can help navigate individuals to services, or make travel arrangements for people who have a place to stay with friends or family in another city. Requests can be made by dialing 3-1-1 by phone, or filling out an online request form.

Please be aware this form is not designed to be an immediate/emergency response system, nor is it a guarantee of a shelter bed referral. This new program is intended to help outreach workers identify, locate, and contact unhoused individuals in need of service and attempt to assist in navigating their next steps.