Astoria City Council Work Session – Homeless Response Follow-Up and Shelter First Policy Proposal – May 18, 2026
Astoria City Council Work Session – Homeless Response Follow-Up and Shelter First Policy Proposal – May 18, 2026
The Astoria City Council held a work session on Monday, May 18, 2026, beginning at 7:02 PM and adjourning at 8:28 PM, to follow up on previous discussions regarding homelessness. Councilors Andrea Mazzarella and Elisabeth Adams, working with city staff and the Police Department, presented a proposed Shelter First Policy intended to balance compassion, public safety, legal requirements, available resources, and community expectations. The policy consists of four main components: creation of a Homeless Liaison position, implementation of a Next Step Initiative (dry storage program and community-based shelter program), development of a countywide shelter coordination partnership, and amendments to the City’s Camping Code.
Discussion Items
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Shelter First Policy Presentation – Councilors Adams and Mazzarella reviewed the City’s completed affordable housing projects (Owens Adair – 50 units, Merwin – 40 units, Clatsop Behavioral Health – 32 units) and upcoming projects (Copeland Commons – 60+ units). They highlighted that Astoria currently has 151 shelter beds across multiple providers (CBH, CCA, Helping Hands, Lifeboat) but emphasized the difficulty of obtaining precise local homelessness data because resources are allocated at the county level. The Councilors framed the policy as a compromise, noting that neither considered it their first choice but that it represents common ground.
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Homeless Liaison Position – The proposed position would be a 30‑hour‑per‑week contracted professional (independent contractor, not a city employee) with a social services background. Estimated annual cost: approximately $61,000. The Liaison would conduct outreach, connect individuals with services, coordinate with shelter providers, collect data, and provide regular reports to the City. Councilor Conklin expressed concerns about burnout and whether one person could handle the workload. Councilor Mazzarella responded that the position is designed as a starting point and that additional low‑barrier shelter options are being explored with community partners. Police Chief Stacy Kelly stated that if the Liaison cannot be hired immediately, the Police Department’s cadet could temporarily assist with outreach.
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Next Step Initiative – Components include:
- Dry Storage Assistance Program: Installation of approximately 20 lockers (estimated $46,000 one‑time) to provide secure storage for personal belongings, aimed at helping individuals comply with camping regulations. Councilor Davis emphasized the need for city‑controlled allocation of lockers, and staff confirmed that the Homeless Liaison would manage the program rules and safety.
- Community‑Based Shelter Program: A pilot program to establish small shelter sites (2–3 spaces each, total 9–10 spaces) on approved commercial, nonprofit, or faith‑based properties. Estimated cost $15,000–$57,000. The city would provide garbage and sanitation services. Councilor Davis asked whether residential property owners could participate; City Manager Scott Spence noted that current code does not allow residential sites, but the council could revisit after pilot results.
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Countywide Shelter Coordination Partnership – The goal is to create a real‑time shelter availability network so that law enforcement and outreach workers know each night which beds are available across the county. Staff reported that local shelters are expected to participate by June 1, and the city intends to engage neighboring jurisdictions (Warrenton, Gearhart, Cannon Beach) and the county for a regional policy discussion targeted for September 2026.
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Camping Code Amendments – Proposed revisions would prioritize available shelter before allowing camping on public property, with case‑by‑case exceptions for individuals with disabilities (ADA). Enforcement would include a 72‑hour trespass order for violations (covering one city block in each direction from the violation site), with the possibility of arrest for repeat noncompliance. Police Chief Kelly explained that while there is legal uncertainty (Oregon state law requires 72‑hour notice once a camp is “established”), the city may need to defend its interpretation in court to create case law. Councilor Conklin questioned whether the 72‑hour trespass would simply relocate individuals rather than solve the underlying issue. Chief Kelly responded that prior educational phases had improved compliance and that consistent enforcement should work over time.
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Cost and Implementation Timeline – Assistant to the City Manager Ryan Quigley presented estimated costs:
- One‑time expenses: $55,000–$95,000 (dry storage and community‑based shelter)
- Ongoing annual expenses: $65,000–$67,000 (Liaison contract, program operations) The city’s existing Homeless and Housing Fund (budget line #2400) already allocates $75,000 per year, and staff stated that the proposal could be absorbed without cutting other programs. Proposed timeline:
- June 1: First reading of Camping Code amendments; council discussion on Homeless Liaison scope of work
- June 15: Second reading of Camping Code amendments; council approval of community‑based shelter program framework
- June 30 (approx.): Dry storage installed; real‑time shelter availability network online
- July 6: Council approval of Liaison contract (if scope agreed June 1)
- July 13: Homeless Liaison start date
- July 15: Enactment of Camping Code amendments
- September: Countywide policy discussion
Key Outcomes
Council provided general direction to staff to proceed with the following next steps (no formal action or vote was taken):
- Prepare a scope of work for a contracted Homeless Liaison.
- Continue development of the dry storage assistance program (with clear city management of the lockers).
- Develop a detailed framework for a community‑based shelter pilot program for council consideration on June 15.
- Continue coordination with county partners to establish a real‑time shelter availability network and a regional policy discussion.
- Prepare proposed Camping Code amendments for council consideration (first reading June 1).
- Continue refining implementation details for the Shelter First Policy.
Council also expressed support for greater collaboration among jurisdictions and service providers and acknowledged the need for ongoing monitoring of enforcement outcomes, especially regarding trespass enforcement and the relationship between homelessness and criminal behavior.
Meeting Transcript
The Monday, May 26th 2026 work session at the Austoria City Council for the record, the time is 7.02 p.m. Mr. Spence. So tonight, as you know, we spoke at the last work session, and uh there's a lot of discussion about some additional initiatives. Um at that meeting, uh, the designated campsites were paused, and then there was much discussion about where to go next. Um, at that meeting, it was decided that Council Mazarell and Councillor Adams would uh work with staff, myself, assistant to the city managers, well as the police chief and come with some potential next steps. And so council member Adams and Oswald are prepared to go walk through a presentation, get your feedback and hopefully get some final policy direction to move forward. Great. Thank you. Councillors. Thank you. Uh thank you, City Council, staff and the public for the opportunity to present some work session, homeless response topics and discussion. Just a reminder that the city council work session is an informal educational meeting where elected officials review upcoming policy, potential policy, review presentations from staff, and we discuss long-term goals as the primary purpose. This is meant to be an informal way for council to sit together and walk through different policy direction. Let's get started. So we're gonna uh take a step back and remind council of our initiatives around housing. The council adopted housing for all Austorians as a work plan goal and focused topic. Next slide. The council has contributed significant time, funds, energy, and support to affordable housing projects. And these listed are the ones that we have completed in the last five years. Owens Adair, 50 units, Merwin, 40 units previous to this council, but we're adding that on there as part of our inventory. And of course, Clots at Behavioral Health's new unit, you new building with 32 units. That's right. I'll just note too in addition to that, we have um hopefully, well, the city has well, like actually, okay. Next slide, upcoming the upcoming affordable workhouse workforce housing projects. But um, this is all stuff to just take a moment to also celebrate that this city council and past councils have done a lot. This housing for all Astorians goal was sort of put in place prior to myself and councillor Conklins was what was that, 2022? Anyway, 23. Um, and we've furthered that goal um cohesively. It's just nice to take a look back and remember some of the things that we have accomplished. So upcoming um support for Copeland Commons, which will be roughly 38 million dollar project, creating 60 plus units of um affordable housing. And um, they've just recently gotten a city infrastructure grant over 500,000 in support of the project for their sewer line, and then city council helps support that by um expanding our Astor East Urban Renewal District so that they can um potentially access some funds to help towards that development. So when talking about housing, we also talk okay. We also talk about uh our shelter services in Astoria. So just to highlight and remind everyone about our shelter services. We have 151 beds with 53 units available for shelter support services amongst our community partners listed here CBH, CCA, Helping Hands, Lifeboat. We have a variety of entry from low barrier to housing or shelter that requires certain types of entry. In addition to these shelter services, we also have multiple nonprofit provide partners and providers that provide support services. We also have the harbor, who specifically provides support services to individuals experiencing and dealing with domestic violence, uh, sexual assault, and they have emergency shelter for people fleeing situations. Yeah, I mean, I want to highlight also and comment on Ms. Morley's comment earlier. It is incredibly challenging to get specific statistics just around Astoria. They all of the point in time counts, all of the funds and resources that come from the state to the county are allocated from the county. So the city of Astoria, it's really difficult to get specific metrics and data on just what we are facing here in town. We're not an island. I think it's important to, and we'll talk about this in a little bit further, to lean on our neighbors and look at a countywide strategy and not make this something that just Astoria is trying to solo solve on our own. So moving through those highlights, the housing for all Astorians, obviously, housing is a goal of the council, moving through looking at the support we've given to our affordable housing projects, upcoming workforce and affordable housing projects, highlighting shelters and services available in Astoria. Counselor Mazarella and I have had significant discussions about how to move forward to present to the council something that we can get behind. I was in favor of the enhanced enforcement/slash exclusion zone that came up in our first approach to try and figure out a solution. Councilor Mazzarella is not in favor of that.
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