The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's commission voted not to apply to keep its four federal roles, including coordinating the region's roughly $240 million annual HUD funding application; the city and county of Los Angeles are both applying to take them over, with applications due September 25. The House Oversight DOGE Subcommittee held its hearing on federally funded homelessness services without Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who declined the summons and called it a "politically-motivated hearing to attack LA." Multnomah County commissioners reviewed four options for covering the county's $101.6 million Moda Center commitment, estimated to cost between $138.6 million and $163.6 million over an assumed 20-year period with financing. Vancouver's city council held the first reading of a camping ban covering 1,500 feet around the 120-bed Bridge Shelter site, slated to take effect November 1.
Multnomah County commissioners reviewed four options for covering the county's $101.6 million commitment to the Moda Center renovation, ranging from using $35 million in one-time county resources with $53 million financed to raising the motor vehicle rental tax by 1% or 1.25% or the transient lodging tax by 1%. The county estimated the options would cost between $138.6 million and $163.6 million over an assumed 20-year period, including as much as $62 million in interest. Several commissioners pushed to take a lodging tax increase off the table, with Commissioners Brim-Edwards and Singleton favoring a rental-car tax increase.
The Oregon Legislature approved $365 million in state bonding for the renovation earlier this year, and Portland city councilors approved a term sheet in August outlining the city's proposed investment.
Vancouver City Council held the first reading of a camping ban covering 1,500 feet around the 120-bed Bridge Shelter under construction, with the ban slated to take effect November 1. A city spokesperson said the ban gives the Homeless Assistance and Response Team and other agencies the ability to work with people living unsheltered in the area before the shelter opens, which officials expect by the end of the year. A public hearing and second reading are scheduled for September 21.
Vancouver already bans camping within 1,000 feet of its Safe Stay sites.
Portland City Council's Housing and Permitting Committee, chaired by Candace Avalos, held its first Renters' Feedback Forum. The Portland Housing Bureau reports that about half of Portland renters are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing, and about one-quarter spend more than half their income on housing. Renters told the committee the city should intervene before missed rent becomes an eviction.
The council's Keep Portland Housed package, approved in April, allocated nearly $56 million in previously unbudgeted Portland Housing Bureau funds, including $5 million for short-term rent assistance.
Portland police arrested two people after a year-long East Precinct Neighborhood Response Team investigation, begun in September 2025, into drug dealing out of the Safe Rest Village on North Portland Road. Keith Kelly, 36, was charged with cocaine possession and distribution, including distribution within 1,000 feet of a school, and Angela Burns, 65, was charged with cocaine possession and distribution offenses. Urban Alchemy, which operates the site, said no staff members were arrested or charged.
Searches under Multnomah County warrants covered the village and a home in the 400 block of Northeast 16th Avenue, where police said they found meth and suspected drug ledgers.
Clark County staff presented a proposed manufactured home park overlay zone for unincorporated urban growth areas that would limit conversion of parks to other uses before the county's temporary redevelopment moratorium expires in February 2027. Under the proposal, an owner seeking to redevelop could apply for a "use exception" by demonstrating the overlay prevents reasonable use of the property or that operating the park is not economically viable. A Hazel Dell resident said her 128-lot park has sold twice in four years and that she pays $708 a month in park rent while new residents pay about $1,300.
The Clark County Council first approved the redevelopment moratorium in August 2025 and later extended it through February 2027.
Portland Homelessness Impact Reduction Program · 2026-09-15
The city received 1,554 new campsite reports, including 387 reports of people living in vehicles, assessed approximately 648 reported campsites and removed 144 campsites during the week of September 7-13. Of the people teams contacted, 28 expressed interest in a shelter referral, 11 accepted referrals and 3 used a shelter bed for at least one night.
The prior week's report (August 31-September 6) recorded 1,758 new campsite reports and 146 campsites removed.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's commission voted not to apply to keep the four federal roles it has held for three decades, including coordinating the region's roughly $240 million annual HUD funding application, running the point-in-time count, and operating the HUD-mandated services database. The city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County are both applying to take over the roles; applicants had to declare intent by September 15 and must submit applications by September 25. LAHSA's commission and leadership said in a joint statement that "competing against our founding partners would only fracture regional collaboration during an already complex time."
HUD suspended LAHSA from its federal duties in June, putting $241 million in anticipated funding in limbo; U.S. District Judge David O. Carter paused the suspension August 13 but ordered the L.A. Continuum of Care Board to solicit replacement applications.
My Ballard · 2026-09-15 · on Seattle's Vehicle Resident Assistance Program six-bill package
The Seattle City Council's Public Safety Committee held its first briefing on Councilmember Dan Strauss's Vehicle Resident Assistance Program package, with a committee vote scheduled for September 22 and a full council vote expected in October. The legislation directs $5 million in existing city funding toward safe lots, vehicle storage, and outreach, creates permits allowing people to keep living in motorhomes or travel trailers on city streets while awaiting shelter, and limits unpermitted motorhomes and travel trailers to two hours of street parking at a time.
Austin's Homeless Strategies and Operations department reported spending $719,361 on its Homeless Encampment Management initiative between May 11 and June 5, with 62% — nearly $450,000 — going to staff salaries. Teams made 456 visits to 127 distinct encampment locations and connected 35 people to shelters and nine to supportive services, and 28% of cleared sites saw encampments again within 30 days, according to the department's data.
The article's headline figure is $716,000; the spending total reported in the body, attributed to the department, is $719,361.
Houston's Housing and Community Development Department recommended approving up to an additional $485,000 in community development block grant funds for Beacon of Downtown Houston for case management, diversion, and rapid resolution services. A separate contract worth more than $1.28 million would support the Texas Homeless Housing and Services Program, covering activities including construction, development, or acquisition of housing.
MyNewsLA · 2026-09-15 · on the House DOGE Subcommittee hearing on federally funded homelessness services
The House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency held its hearing "Fixing Fraud and Failure in Federally Funded Homelessness Services" without Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who declined the summons and called it a "politically-motivated hearing to attack LA." Witnesses included Cicero Institute senior fellow Paul Webster and Discovery Institute senior fellow Jonathan Choe; Chairman Tim Burchett said LAHSA has received over $1 billion in federal funds since 2021, and said in his opening statement that the federal government spends about $8 billion annually to prevent homelessness.
HUD suspended LAHSA from applying for or receiving federal grants in June, affecting $241 million Congress earmarked for the Los Angeles region.
Courthouse News Service · 2026-09-14 · on denial of HUD's motion to dismiss housing authorities' grant-conditions suit
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Oakland denied the federal government's motion to dismiss, or transfer to Washington state, a lawsuit by the housing authorities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Baltimore, and Salem challenging DEI-related conditions on HUD's Operating Subsidy, Capital Fund, Family Self-Sufficiency, and Multifamily Housing Service Coordinator grants. The government had argued the suit duplicated an earlier case over different HUD grants; Tigar wrote that "the two suits challenge identical grant conditions imposed on distinct grants received by distinct entities."
Tigar issued a temporary restraining order in October 2025, three days after the suit was filed.
Reps. French Hill, Mike Flood, and Emanuel Cleaver told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's housing conference that implementation of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act now depends on HUD rulemaking and on the 33,295 government bodies with local zoning authority. Hill said cities that do not loosen development rules "can have your CDBG money clipped," and Flood said the bill's regulations are now being written. The bill carries no funding, and a majority of its 125 implementation items fall on HUD.
The ROAD to Housing Act became law in July 2026 without the president's signature.
2026-09-18 — DHS/USCIS public-charge rule counting housing assistance takes effect; state and city lawsuits pending in S.D.N.Y. with no injunction issued (source)
2026-09-18 — Responses due on plaintiffs' unopposed motion to amend the judgment in NAEH v. HUD, D.R.I. No. 1:26-cv-00436 (source)
2026-09-21 — Public hearing and second reading of Vancouver's camping ban around the Bridge Shelter site (source)
2026-09-22 — Seattle Public Safety Committee vote on the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program package; Mayor Wilson's 2027–2028 proposed budget also due for release (source)
2026-09-25 — Applications due to replace LAHSA in the L.A. Continuum of Care's four federal roles (source)
2026-09-30 — Deadline for Gov. Newsom to sign or veto California AB 2128, which would bar work requirements and time limits for Section 8 renters (source)
2026-10-06 — Portland City Council Housing and Permitting Committee public hearing on the Central City Code Amendments Recommended Draft, 2 p.m. (source)
2026-10-13 — Comment deadline on HUD's CoC additional-incentives research notice (source)