Multnomah County: Deflecting Responsibility
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As I’ve previously shared, my goal in running for Multnomah County Chair is not just to be Chair. My goal is to fix Multnomah County - and I need to be Chair to do it.
Today I will talk about deflection as an example of what's not working at the County and what I would do as Chair to turn things around.
At its core, the concept of deflection is simple and worthwhile: Divert people with addiction away from jail and into treatment, recovery, housing, and stability.
This week, Willamette Week reported that, after spending millions of dollars, the County's deflection program has produced "anemic" results.
That description doesn't even begin to capture the reality.
The fact is, after investing more than $20 million, the County cannot point to a single person who completed treatment and is in stable housing because of its deflection program.
County leaders have been scrambling to deflect responsibility for this massive failure.
The two commissioners running for Chair have both demanded accountability - but only after repeatedly voting to fund the program they knew was failing.
And their solution? A resolution that doesn't fix what's actually wrong with deflection and will not change a single outcome.
More politics. More spending. Same results.
As Chair, my approach would be fundamentally different.
Rather than tweaking another failed program, I would replace the system that produced it.
And I would begin by halting the program in its current form.
When you're trying to get out of a hole, the first rule is to stop digging.
This alone would save millions of dollars and allow us to redirect resources toward approaches that actually help people.
Then I would:
Define success by how many people complete treatment and reach stable housing - not simply how many are referred.
Replace leadership that isn't delivering results.
Bring in experts with a proven track record of building programs that work.
Before spending millions of dollars, we need to know what success looks like.
We need to know where money goes, what it buys, whether it works, and who is accountable.
Neither the County nor the public knows these things today.
They will if I'm Chair.
To learn more about my plan to build a County government that is functional, accountable, and focused on results, please visit SharonForChair.com.
To read the email I sent the Chair two years ago proposing such an approach, and urging her not to waste time and money on a deflection program that was doomed to fail, click here.
Together, we can replace a County government that reflexively deflects responsibility with one that relentlessly embraces it.
Thank you once again for caring.
Sharon
