Multnomah County, Oregon

Recovery Plan 

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

Interim Recovery Plan as of August 31, 2021
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 1

Multnomah County

2021 Recovery Plan

Table of Contents

General Overview........................................................................................................................2

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................2

Uses of Funds ...........................................................................................................................4

Promoting Equitable Outcomes.................................................................................................7

Community Engagement...........................................................................................................8

Labor Practices .........................................................................................................................8

Use of Evidence ........................................................................................................................9

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category ............................................................................9

Project Inventory.......................................................................................................................12

Example Project .....................................................................................................................12

Additional Projects...................................................................................................................12
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 2

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Executive Summary 

Multnomah County is home to approximately 829,560 residents, making it the most populous 

county in the state of Oregon. The county is located in Northwestern Oregon where the Columbia 

and Willamette rivers meet. It is bordered by the State of Washington to the north and is 

surrounded by Hood River, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia Counties in Oregon. The 

county seat is in Portland, which is also the largest city in the State of Oregon

Multnomah County is governed according to its Home Rule Charter. Multnomah County’s 

legislative body, the Board of County Commissioners, is composed of four non-partisan County 

Commissioners elected from geographical districts and the County Chair, who is elected at-large 

and serves as both Chief Administrator and Legislator. The County has three other independently 

elected positions -- the Sheriff, the District Attorney and the Auditor. There are 42 governmental 

taxing districts located wholly or partially inside of Multnomah County. Portland (population 

662,235) and Gresham (population 112,660) are the two largest cities in Multnomah County. 

Other major governmental entities located within Multnomah County include Metro, Portland 

Public Schools, the Port of Portland, TriMet, and Portland Community College. Overlapping 

districts share a tax base, infrastructure and services with Multnomah County. Multnomah County 

provides a full range of services including: 

• Library and Community Enhancement

• Public Safety Protection, Corrections and Probation

• Construction and Maintenance of Roads, Highways, Bridges and other Infrastructure

• Health, Mental, Homeless, and Social Services

• Internal Business Support

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was signed into law on March 11, 2021, and 

provides $350 billion in additional funding for state and local governments navigating the impacts

of the COVID-19 outbreak. Funds were distributed by the U.S. Treasury to states and eligible 

local governments and are to be used to cover COVID-19 related expenses and impacts from the 

pandemic. Multnomah County will be receiving a total direct allocation of $157.8 million. Funding 

will be provided to Multnomah County in two tranches: 50% or $78.9m received in May of 2021 

and the remaining balance no earlier than 12 months from the date of first payment. The funds 

are available to be spent through December 31, 2024. 

As the local Public Health Authority, Multnomah County plays a leading role in the regional 

COVID-19 response. In addition to the work of coordinating the response, COVID-19 and the 

associated economic impacts have increased the demand for County safety net services, while 

also disrupting County operations. The Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security 

(CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan (ARPA) have provided resources to support this work, 

but the ultimate impact and duration of the pandemic are still unknown. Both the health and 

economic impacts of COVID-19 have fallen disproportionately on communities of color. The 

County’s COVID-19 response has been culturally-specific and has targeted resources to 

communities hardest hit by both the virus and the economic contraction. The County provides an 

equity lens to all policy decisions. The County will remain diligent and focused on serving the most 

vulnerable in our community and maintain essential services.
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Multnomah County’s COVID-19 Response Guiding Principles: 

• Inclusively lead with race in order to best serve people and populations who been 

disproportionately impacted by inequities. We honor the expertise, relationships, and 

resilience within communities of color through our partnerships and co-create solutions.

• Using an equity and racial justice approach helps us take into consideration inequities, 

current disease trends and a deeply held belief that there is tremendous value and positive 

impact in services provided in the language and cultural traditions or our diverse 

communities. 

• Providing excellent service and supporting people in our community is a hallmark of what 

we do as a government, safety net system and Local Public Health Authority. County 

employees and our community partners are the heart of this work. Our work is at its best 

when we engage and listen to the expertise and insight of those who are in and 

working with our community each day.

• Embedding a public health approach within our priorities allows us to consider 

opportunities to impact the health and wellness of our community at an individual, 

community and population level, using data and making investments that can have shortterm and long-term benefits.

• Partnership with our jurisdictional partners, community leaders and communitybased organizations is a key component to increasing the effectiveness and impact of 

the millions of dollars being deployed throughout the county, region and state.

To allocate ARPA funding Multnomah County used the following priority areas:

The Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners fully allocated its $78.9m ARPA

allocation in the fiscal year 2022 adopted budget. The second tranche is expected to be 

programmed during the County’s fiscal year 2023 budget cycle. For more information on 
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Multnomah County’s approach in allocating ARPA resources, see the Multnomah County Chair’s 

Budget Message.

Multnomah County, Clackamas, Washington, and Yamhill Counties have collaborated to improve 

public health’s response to communicable diseases, including COVID-19. The regional partners 

maintain a Regional COVID-19 Dashboard. The dashboard provides information on COVID-19 

cases, hospitalizations and deaths broken down by age, gender, race, and ethnicity. The 

dashboard also details data on testing, housing status, underlying health conditions and 

symptoms. As a result, of timing issues, regional numbers may be slightly different from those 

reported by the Oregon Health Authority.

For the latest County COVID-19 public guidance see link

Uses of Funds

In fiscal year, 2022 Multnomah County budgeted a total $150.1 million across the five priority 

areas to continue and expand its COVID-19 response. The funding includes direct ARPA funding 

in addition to other federal and state funding. Below is a visual breakdown of all programmed 

funding to be expended in fiscal year 2022.

Local Public Health Authority and Safety Net Provider 

The pandemic has required Multnomah County to enhance services provided as part of several 

of its core functions, including acting as the Local Public Health Authority and the Safety Net 

Provider: 

Vaccine Response 

As part of the continued efforts to ensure COVID-19 vaccines reach all people and all 

communities, the Federal government announced a series of actions to expand access to COVID19 vaccines to the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities across the country. With funding from 
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 5

the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest 

nearly $10 billion to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and better serve communities of color, 

rural areas, low-income populations, and other underserved communities in the COVID-19 

response. This funding will expand access to vaccines for vulnerable populations and increase 

vaccine confidence. The fiscal year 2022 budget allocates $23.4 million of ARP funding to vaccine 

distribution, improving vaccine access, addressing health disparities, and testing. 

Safety Net Provider 

Much of the Federal assistance will go towards serving the most vulnerable people in our 

community, who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Throughout the crisis, 

Multnomah County has had the unique local responsibility of both leading the public health 

response to a virus we had never seen, COVID-19, and responding to the unprecedented need 

in the community for shelter, housing, food, and healthcare. 

The County has charted a course forward, with a goal to preserve essential County services to 

the fullest extent possible. This includes housing stability, behavioral healthcare, and culturally 

specific wraparound services. These services are lifelines for individuals and families who face 

increased housing insecurity, food instability, trauma, and inadequate access to healthcare. The 

County will also continue to respond to the urgent needs surrounding the pandemic, including 

continuing to detect and contain cases and outbreaks, and expand vaccinations. Where possible, 

the County seeks to deepen supports for current clients and reach more individuals and families 

in our community who are now in need of our services. Additionally, the pandemic has created 

the need for expanded investments to respond to acute COVID-19 impacts, including supports 

for children returning to school, older adults, those experiencing domestic and sexual violence, 

and those impacted by increased gun violence in our community.

Continuation of Emergency Rent Assistance (ERAP)

The local eviction moratorium implemented during the pandemic has prevented a wave of 

evictions in response to large-scale employment loss, but renters will ultimately still owe this back 

rent. Throughout the pandemic, the Census Household Pulse survey reported that 10-14% of 

households in Oregon responded that they were worried about their ability to pay rent. 

Stable housing is linked to a number of positive health and social outcomes for individuals, 

families, and communities. Rental assistance is a key strategy to support renters. The COVID-19 

pandemic has resulted in unprecedented numbers of layoffs and furloughs, leading to even 

deeper racial disparities and challenges to pay rent and remain stably housed. A COVID-19 

Emergency Rent Assistance program will continue into FY 2022 and includes $48.8 million to 

support more households with rent assistance.
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 6

The table below provides summary of (direct ARPA allocation) planned usage:
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 7

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners continues to evaluate the community needs 

around the pandemic and will modify or adjust as necessary to best combat the pandemic and 

its affects. 

Promoting Equitable Outcomes

The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have fallen disproportionately on communities of 

color. The employment levels among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community 

remains well below pre-pandemic levels. The County has targeted its resources (including ARPA 

funding) to the communities hardest hit. 

The County Chair prioritized equity in developing the fiscal year 2022 COVID-19 response plan 

(developing budget). During the budget preparation, County departments were asked to apply the 

equity lens to their processes. This included asking department leaders to consider the process 

they use to develop budget, the narrative they construct in program offers, and the measures they 

used to determine program success. Below is a more specific outline of approach applied:

• Prepare the budget with equity impacts in mind and document the analysis used. Equity 

analysis does not make the choices for departments, but it can lift up where the benefits 

are and illuminate where potential negative impacts occur. 

• Take a fresh look at the language used in each program offer and write descriptions that 

keep the public in mind. Departments were encouraged to think about how they describe 

what they do, what they invest in, and how these investments benefit the community in 

ways that the community can understand and access. 

• Examine performance measures to see if they can better reflect the goals of the program. 

This is an opportunity to effectively identify disparities that a program is seeking to 

address, or to better describe the population the program serves in terms of demographics 

and other indicators.

The County performed extensive outreach to cultural communities, clients, and community 

partners to better understand what they needed to begin their recovery from the pandemic. The 

County listened and built its COVID-19 response around the feedback. As referenced in the 

general overview the County’s COVID-19 guiding principles focused on leading with race, using 

equity and racial justice in approach, embed public health in the approach, work with jurisdictional 

partners, community leaders and community based organizations, and listen to the experts in the 

field. 

The County focused primarily on Crisis Response & Community Recovery (e.g. food 

assistance, rent assistance, housing stability, behavioral health, etc.) and Public Health 

Emergency Response (e.g. community testing, vaccinations, vaccine distribution, contact 

tracing, isolation and quarantine, PPE supplies, clinic services, etc.), below is a breakdown of 

focus areas based on a percentage of total response plan. 
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 8

In a future reporting cycle, greater project specifics will be provided, including progress details in 

meeting equity goals and priorities.

Community Engagement

The County has been a regional leader in responding to the pandemic; this has included extensive 

collaboration with community leaders, community organizations, and jurisdictional partners. The 

County held various town hall sessions aimed at seeking input/feedback on how to best to address 

the pandemic with available resources (ARPA included). These sessions were held in the spring 

of 2021 and supported the County’s development of COVID-19 Response Guidance Principles 

and COVID-19 Response Priorities detailed in general overview. Thousands of community 

members and residents participated to share key methods to reach the most vulnerable, told us 

about the kinds of support they required to make it through pandemic, and provided information 

on how best to inform certain communities on the benefits of vaccines. The County adjusted its 

priorities to the feedback from the community. 

The County develops the annual budget with the support of the Community Budget Advisory 

Committees (CBAC). CBAC are groups of community members that review and make 

recommendations on County departmental budgets and operations. CBAC is a way the County 

receives community feedback on key budgetary decisions/priorities. Nine CBAC’s represent each 

County Department. CBAC members meet with department leaders and other staff about program 

and services. The CBAC is tasked with making recommendations to the County Board of 

Commissioners on how best to use key resources in the community. The CBAC prioritized 

providing input on the COVID-19 response and recovery.

The County established a dedicated governmental fund to account for all COVID-19 response 

expenditures and revenues to provide greater transparency and accountability to the public. The 

County’s annual audited financial statements will detail all COVID-19 related expenditures in a 

clear and transparent approach. The County is in the process of developing a COVID-19 spending 

dashboard to provide information that is more current to the public.

Labor Practices 

Multnomah County’s current plan does not include water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure 

projects as it applies to direct ARPA funding. Below is some basic information about Multnomah 

County’s labor workforce and COVID-19 safety resources. 

Multnomah County has approximately 6,000 positions including full-time equivalent (FTE) and 

temporary and on-call staffing. The County has 12 bargaining units list below, the largest being 

general employees with about 3,500 members. 

• Facilities & Maintenance & Repairs

COVID Response Priorities Total ARPA Total

Crisis Response & Community Recovery $ 73.4 $ 24.6

Public Health Emergency Response $ 56.7 $ 37.3

$ 130.1 $ 61.9

Percentage of Total Response Budget 87% 78%
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 9

• Sign Painters

• Prosecuting Attorneys

• Juvenile Custody Workers

• General Employees

• Correctional Officers

• Nurses

• Probation and Parole Officers

• Deputy Sheriffs

• Electrical Workers

• Physicians

• Dentists

• Management/Executive (Non Represented)

For general County Human Resources information see link

Due to the extraordinary circumstances, Multnomah County has made it a priority to maintain

latest workplace safety protocols in alignment with Oregon OSHA requirements. The safety and 

well-being of County employees is of the upmost importance. The County maintains and makes 

available to all employees the latest employee policies, practices, and procedures that may be 

impacted in response to COVID-19, including workplace safety guidance, COVID-19 FAQ, 

telework guidance, vaccine information, etc.

Use of Evidence 

Multnomah County is still evaluating its planned usages (projects) as it applies to evidence based 

interventions and/or program evaluations designed to build evidence. More specific will be 

provided in the next reporting period.

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Category Cumulative

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health

1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination $543,770.25 $543,770.25

1.2 COVID-19 Testing $50.00 $50.00

1.3 COVID-19 Contact Tracing

1.4 Prevention in Congregate Settings (Nursing 

Homes, Prisons/Jails, Dense Work Sites, 

Schools, etc.)

$8,333.57 $8,333.57

1.5 Personal Protective Equipment

1.6 Medical Expenses (including Alternative Care 

Facilities)

1.7 Capital Investments or Physical Plant Changes 

to Public Facilities that respond to the COVID19 public health emergency
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 10

Category Cumulative

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

1.8 Other COVID-19 Public Health Expenses

(including Communications, Enforcement, 

Isolation/Quarantine)

$287,135.29 $287,135.29

1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health, Safety, and 

Other Public Sector Staff Responding to 

COVID-19

$936,225.28 $936,225.28

1.10 Mental Health Services

1.11 Substance Use Services

1.12 Other Public Health Services $65,898.01 $65,898.01

2 Expenditure Category: Negative Economic 

Impacts

2.1 Household Assistance: Food Programs 

2.2 Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and 

Utility Aid 

2.3 Household Assistance: Cash Transfers 

2.4 Household Assistance: Internet Access 

Programs

2.5 Household Assistance: Eviction Prevention

2.6 Unemployment Benefits or Cash Assistance to 

Unemployed Workers

2.7 Job Training Assistance (e.g., Sectoral jobtraining, Subsidized Employment, Employment 

Supports or Incentives)

2.8 Contributions to UI Trust Funds*

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance (General)

2.10 Aid to nonprofit organizations

2.11 Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality

2.12 Aid to Other Impacted Industries

2.13 Other Economic Support $307.49 $307.49

2.14 Rehiring Public Sector Staff

3 Expenditure Category: Services to 

Disproportionately Impacted Communities

3.1 Education Assistance: Early Learning 

3.2 Education Assistance: Aid to High-Poverty 

Districts

3.3 Education Assistance: Academic Services 

3.4 Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, and 

Mental Health Services 

3.5 Education Assistance: Other 

3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care 

3.7 Healthy Childhood Environments: Home Visiting 
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 11

Category Cumulative

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

3.8 Healthy Childhood Environments: Services to 

Foster Youth or Families Involved in Child 

Welfare System 

3.9. Healthy Childhood Environments: Other 

3.10 Housing Support: Affordable Housing 

3.11 Housing Support: Services for Unhoused 

persons 

$10,260.48 $10,260.48

3.12 Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance 

3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other 

3.14 Social Determinants of Health: Community 

Health Workers or Benefits Navigators 

3.15 Social Determinants of Health: Lead 

Remediation

3.16 Social Determinants of Health: Community 

Violence Interventions 

4 Expenditure Category: Premium Pay

4.1 Public Sector Employees

4.2 Private Sector: Grants to other employers 

5 Expenditure Category: Infrastructure

5.1 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater treatment

5.2 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater collection 

and conveyance

5.3 Clean Water: Decentralized wastewater

5.4 Clean Water: Combined sewer overflows

5.5 Clean Water: Other sewer infrastructure

5.6 Clean Water: Stormwater

5.7 Clean Water: Energy conservation

5.8 Clean Water: Water conservation

5.9 Clean Water: Nonpoint source 

5.10 Drinking water: Treatment

5.11 Drinking water: Transmission & distribution

5.12 Drinking water: Transmission & distribution: 

lead remediation

5.13 Drinking water: Source

5.14 Drinking water: Storage 

5.15 Drinking water: Other water infrastructure

5.16 Broadband: “Last Mile” projects

5.17 Broadband: Other projects

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue Replacement

6.1 Provision of Government Services

7 Administrative and Other
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 12

Category Cumulative

expenditures to 

date ($)

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan

7.1 Administrative Expenses $19,768.08 $19,768.08

7.2 Evaluation and data analysis 

7.3 Transfers to Other Units of Government

7.4 Transfers to Nonentitlement Units 

(States and Territories only)

PROJECT INVENTORY

Multnomah County is the process of fully detailing out its project inventory, more specifics will be 

provided in the next ARPA reporting period, October 2022. Below is a list of current projects with 

expense activity in the reporting period ending 7/30/2021.

Public Health Emergency Response

• Testing, tracing, outbreak response, vaccination, call center emergency operations, 

communication, education and engagement

• Funding Amount (Budget): $37.3m

• Project Total Spend (thru 7/30/21): $1.76m

o Categories 1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination, 1.2 COVID-19 Testing, 1.3 COVID-19 

Contact Tracing, 1.8 Other COVID-19 Public Health Expenses, 1.9 Payroll Costs 

for Public Health, Safety, and Other Public Sector Staff Responding to COVID19, and 1.12 Other Public Health Services

• Performance Report: will be provided in a future reporting period

Core Services Supporting People in our Care

• Uphold the welfare of people in our direct care, particularly those in congregate settings 

like shelter, jail and juvenile detention. 

• Funding Amount (Budget): $11.4m

• Project Total Spend (thru 7/30/21): $81.5K

o 1.4 Prevention and Congregate Setting and 1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health, 

Safety, and other Public Sector Staff Responding to COVID-19

• Performance Report: will be provided in a future reporting period

Crisis Response & Community Recovery

• Maintain the social service safety net, and make investments that address the negative 

impacts of the pandemic to help our community recover. 

• Funding Amount (Budget): $24.6m

• Project Total Spend (thru 7/30/21): $10K

o 2.13 Other Economic Support and 3.11 Housing Support: Services for Unhoused 

Persons

• Performance Report: will be provided in a future reporting period
Multnomah County 2021 Interim Recovery Plan Performance Report 13

Administrative Support

• Project Total Spend (thru 7/30/21): $19.7K

o 7.1 Administrative Expenditures

Use of Evidence

Not applicable at this point