Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty says the pilot has been successful enough for a wider rollout.
As the City Council prepares to vote on the Mayor's Proposed Budget this week, a citywide expansion of Portland Street Response hangs in the balance. The city has two choices: it can either run a pilot for 12 months and … stop. Then, after further analysis, the City Council could decide how and if it wants to roll out citywide — delaying citywide expansion until 2023-24.
Or, the city of Portland can run a 12-month pilot and simultaneously adapt and ready the program for citywide launch beginning in March 2022, as has been slowly, methodically and smartly planned all along.