Multnomah County is set to allocate an additional $1.8 million for the construction and upgrades of its deflection center. This facility was established to offer drug users an alternative to arrest. The Board of Commissioners approved the new funding on Thursday, with Commissioner Sharon Meieran being the lone dissenting vote. This new funding nearly doubles the county's investment in the facility's upgrades. The board had originally authorized $2 million for improvements to the Southeast Portland building in July.

Unforeseen Costs and Delays

Officials admitted on Thursday that they were not confident the original amount would cover the construction as the estimate was made during a rushed timeline to open the facility. They further added that the building required more work than anticipated. Dan Zalkow, the director of Facilities and Property Management, stated, "We had minimal knowledge of the building and had not designed the project yet. From a cost perspective, from the start, nearly everything we touched in the building was worse than we expected." Unexpected asbestos, the need for updates to fire safety systems, and the addition of more lighting set the project back. Overtime for construction employees and expedited shipping of materials to attempt a September 1 opening, which the county missed, also contributed to the increased costs.

Impact on the Deflection Program

The $3.8 million price tag for improvements will not directly come from the county's funds. The state provided $25 million for the county to launch its deflection program. This money will also be used for the ongoing costs of running the current Coordinated Care Pathway Center, which serves as Portland's deflection hub, and to fund the construction of a permanent deflection facility in 2026. Officials estimated in August that it would cost $11.8 million to operate the deflection center in its first 22 months. This figure included nearly $4 million for the Baltimore nonprofit Tuerk House, which is running the center, to provide staff, food, and basic medical supplies, $2 million to pay county staff, $2 million for transportation to and from the center, and $1.6 million for security, among other things.

Controversy and Doubts

Meieran, who has closely examined the county's program, expressed shock at the unexpected jump in construction costs. She said, "It sounded like you had a plan. Now you're coming back saying the amount is literally double what it was when you came to us however many months ago. There's no way as a board we should be saying it's okay to give $1.8 million more now to this project." Chair Jessica Vega Pederson acknowledged that she was warned about the increasing costs to finish the deflection center and that it is not uncommon for construction projects to exceed estimated budgets. She said, "The goal of everyone was to try to minimize additional costs, and there were some ways that was able to happen and there were some ways it was not. When we realized what the costs were, we scheduled this and put it on the board meeting."

Effectiveness and Referrals

Meieran questioned the effectiveness of the center, arguing that it has served a small number of people since it opened on October 14. Police referred 74 people to the facility in its first month of operations, averaging just over two people per day. In total, 127 people have chosen deflection over arrest, including cases from September when the county deployed mobile deflection units while waiting for the center to open. Portland Police Commander Brian Hughes said that the bureau has deferred approximately one-third of people caught with drugs to deflection so far. He stated, "This has been, I think, a worthwhile endeavor, and I look forward to continuing it."A person approved for deflection must pass a screening by police and agree to choose deflection over arrest. After that, police transport the person to the county's facility where they meet with a peer support specialist. From there, they undergo a medical screening to determine their needs and receive referrals for shelter, behavioral health, drug addiction treatment, and other services. Officials have not released the number of people who have actually accessed services following a screening with the county. The county will share this information in February.People with warrants or other charges pending, those who are too intoxicated to consent to go into deflection, or those who have "failed deflection" within the previous 30 days are not eligible for deflection. A person fails deflection if they do not follow up with services within 30 days of being caught with drugs.The current deflection center is temporary, and the county plans to open a permanent, larger location by 2026 with additional sobering and withdrawal beds.— Austin De Dios covers Multnomah County politics, programs, and more. Reach him at 503-319-9744, adedios@oregonian.com or @AustinDeDios.Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.