City of Salem Work Session - October 19, 2026

The City of Salem City Council held an informational work session on October 19, 2026, on a proposed systems approach to homelessness and housing instability. Staff outlined a plan to map existing services, consult counties, state agencies, nonprofits, service providers, and people with lived experience, and identify gaps and potential shared actions. Council discussed coordination, shared goals and measures of success, prevention, affordable housing, and limitations in the region’s homelessness data systems, including HMIS and coordinated entry. Staff plan to return November 16 with initial partner perspectives and continue engagement through January, with potential actions to be presented in February. Council took no action to approve initiatives or funding.

Funding constraints were discussed, including the city’s reliance on one-time and shifting revenue and a councilor’s reference to a $205 million statewide shelter program and a $100 million reduction in eviction-prevention funding. The Salem Housing Authority described preserving 224 affordable units at Orchard Park and nearly 1,300 units brought into Salem since 2019 through preservation and new construction. No contracts, vendors, purchasing decisions, or procurement-related votes were identified; the discussion of funding and housing projects was informational.