Multnomah County commissioners clash over $2M deflection center contract

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Dissent continues among Multnomah County commissioners over plans to pay $2 million to set up a deflection center after an out-of-state nonprofit has already signed a contract to run it.

The deflection program, as previously approved by state lawmakers, is meant to give people the option for rehabilitation over jail when they get arrested with small amounts of street drugs. Each county can decide what its program looks like.

However, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has developed the county’s deflection plan behind closed doors—without her fellow commissioners—in favor of planning with other county leaders, such as Portland Police Chief Bob Day and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.

Chair Vega Pederson’s version of the deflection program gives those caught with hard drugs the choice between serving jail time or receiving treatment for a substance use disorder, but also allows them to avoid arrest and possibly walk away without mandated treatment. This outcome is possible for people who get dropped off at the deflection center and go through a screening and assessment with a peer counselor, but are not required to follow a plan for drug treatment.

This process is expected to go into effect when House Bill 4002 goes into effect on Sept. 1, effectively resuming the use of criminal penalties for those who possess drugs in the state after years under the controversial Measure 110.

In preparation for the September deadline, the county has signed a contract with the Tuerk House—a Baltimore nonprofit that provides drug and alcohol treatment—to operate the deflection center located on Southeast Sandy Boulevard.

“For Phase One…success is a screening, referral, and to-be-determined engagement requirement for somebody who has voluntarily started participating in deflection,” Chair Vega Pederson said.

But some commissioners say they have yet to see this contract—which details staffing, treatment beds, etc. Without more information, commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Sharon Meiran say they cannot support the plan when it goes up for their vote later this week.

“How can we describe successful deflection as one that actually does not result in somebody who wants or needs treatment not getting it?” Commissioner Brim-Edwards said.

Another source of contention is Vega Pederson’s plan to create a sobering center in two years. Instead, Edwards and Meiran claim the county should prioritize these resources now.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.