A Yiddish word, “far-potshket”, does a great job of encapsulating the problem – it refers to efforts to fix things that end up making them worse. The diagram above of Multnomah County’s “homelessness response system” shows why efforts to address homelessness to date have failed.

We have a nonsystem created by plastering more layers of dysfunctional bureacracy onto the previous layers that have failed. A picture speaks a thousand words, reflecting the non-system we have established, better referred to as “chaos”.

Below, instead, is a rational continuum aligned with the proper supports, stakeholders and funding streams, directed by a coordination and command center, overseen by an independent advisory authority. This is the model we must move toward.

The solution to homelessness is not as complicated as we’re making it. Though the problem of homelessness is seemingly intractable, the approach to ending it is actually straightforward.

It is a matter of defining a comprehensive shared vision with meaningful goals, a clear chain of command, and an effective and accountable governance structure led by independent subject matter experts. To date Multnomah County has done none of these things, but they are eminently doable.