Sanitation, Hygiene and Workforce Development Passed by City Council

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, Ore. - May 21, 2026 - Portland City Councilor Mitch Green's Sanitation, Hygiene and Workforce Development amendment (Green 3) passed with a 7 - 5 vote at City Council Wednesday night.

The Sanitation, Hygiene, and Workforce Development amendment redirects $1 million from the city's $14.9 million homelessness sweeps budget into public bathrooms, free laundry services, litter collection and tent side waste collection services, and low-barrier job opportunities that meet people where they are. The amendment includes details that require cuts only be made to funding for camp clearances and exempts cuts to programs this amendment is designed to fund.

"I'm not proposing the defunding of the sweeps program," Councilor Green shared at last night's council meeting. "[But] I can't, in good moral conscience, vote for another budget that maintains this level [of funding for sweeps] without trying to reduce the level of harm by some small measure, and invest it in things that provide dignity."

"Constantly displacing and dispossessing traumatized people doesn't solve homelessness, it prolongs it," shared Councilor Green. "Instead of layering trauma on top of trauma, we can redirect these dollars to help people wash their clothes, use a bathroom with dignity, and take the first steps into work. We can address basic sanitation, and we can do it in a way that respects our shared humanity."

Councilor Green spent the last year in consultation with service providers, experts, and constituents who have long advocated for increased investments found in the amendment, as they have been shown to ensure the health and dignity of people experiencing homelessness, alleviate environmental impacts, and benefit local businesses.

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