As a candidate for Portland City Council:
I commit that if elected I will prioritize, introduce budget amendments, and vote in favor of full funding for expanded 24/7 citywide Portland Street Response (PSR) coverage in every budget cycle.
I commit that if elected, within 3 months of taking office, I will actively work with Friends of Portland Street Response and other advocates to protect, preserve, and expand the independence of PSR by introducing, voting for, and helping pass a resolution and/or ordinance:
Affirming the intent and structure of PSR
- Mandate a structure for Portland Street Response in line with best practices and the independent Portland State University evaluation. That includes ensuring that all response teams include three person crews of a medical responder, trained mental health provider, and a peer support specialist, calls are dispatched through the 911 system, and the program remains an unarmed de-escalation program separate from police response.
Fully funding and staffing PSR
- Direct the Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety to prioritize hiring for Portland Street Response until it is fully staffed to meet public need for 24/7 citywide coverage.
- This includes evaluating pay equity for community health workers and peer support specialists to serve on the response teams, and fully funding the aftercare teams to integrate support services with emergency response when possible.
- This includes evaluating pay equity for community health workers and peer support specialists to serve on the response teams, and fully funding the aftercare teams to integrate support services with emergency response when possible.
- Direct the Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety to implement a plan to establish and protect full funding for PSR, and prevent encroachment of its funding from other needs within its department.
- Direct the Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety to develop a plan for fully staffing the Bureau of Emergency Communications with dispatch for Portland Street Response.
Supporting PSR with the resources needed to be successful
- Direct the Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety to report back in 3 months on a plan to:
- allow full access to all life-saving supplies; including naloxone, water bottles, food, clothing, and more in line with best practices to meet people’s needs, de-escalate 911 calls, and successfully build trust.
- re-establish culturally responsive and multilingual community outreach and communication funding and materials for PSR.
Protecting PSR’s independence
- Mandate that Portland Street Response not be a part of sweeps and enforcement activities, recognizing that this undermines trust and represents a departure from its original mission.
- Mandate that Portland Street Response be fully authorized to respond to 911 calls independently. Ensure that PSR is able to respond to people in crisis separate from police response.
Move forward with establishing PSR as a co-equal branch of our first responder network
- Implement code changes recommended by the advisory committee to establish PSR as a co-equal branch of our first responder network.
- Direct the Deputy City Administrator for Public Safety to report back to City Council within 3 months on a path forward for independent program evaluation, including outreach and conversations with the original Portland State University evaluators.
Additionally, during my time as a Candidate I commit to:
List supporting and strengthening PSR as a priority on my campaign website;
Testify in favor of Portland Street Response code changes to codify and strengthen the program as a co-equal branch; and
Attending a virtual Friends of PSR information session to learn about the current state of PSR, its challenges, and the changes needed.
NAME: _________________________________________________
OFFICE: ____________________________________________________