Sharing experiences of the SHS Advisory Committee
How the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Advisory Committee is making a difference in Multnomah County
Three years ago Homeless Services Department staff launched the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Advisory Committee, creating one of the only avenues for the public to have a direct impact on the SHS measure’s progress in Multnomah County.
Ty Schwoeffermann and Sandra Comstock have co-chaired the committee since January 2025. Comstock is one of the original members of the committee and the Executive Director of Hygiene4All, a hygiene hub that provides access to bathrooms, hot showers, and community under the Morrison Bridge. She came on board to leverage her understanding of how the system could work better, and advocate for changes informed by the actual experiences of people living outside.
Schwoeffermann attends as a community member with deep experience in the field of homelessness services. Prior to serving on the committee, he was a community engagement coordinator with Washington County and helped lead efforts to stand up shelters, host drives, and educate and partner with the community to address homelessness. He saw serving on the committee as a compelling next step to continue that work.
Together the two help shape committee discussions and build consensus around recommendations to improve SHS programming and the homeless services system in Multnomah County.
In the last three years the committee has demonstrated an incredible appetite for this work, drawing from the significant lived and learned experience of its members to produce four sets of recommendations with clear goals: expand the operational capacity of homeless services providers; improve the system through investments in housing, behavioral health, and better coordination; and ensure equity in SHS programming.
This year’s focus area — making it easier for people in crisis to access housing and homeless services — will result in another thorough set of recommendations for HSD leadership to consider in early 2026.
“I’m grateful to be able to participate in this,” says Comstock. “I think our region is unique in the commitment it has to bring in people on the ground’s voices and trying to improve our systems in that way. I know it’s been a bumpy road, but we started this in COVID when the old Joint Office was 15 people or something. People forget that, what we’ve come through and what we’ve been able to do under serious duress.”
That sense of collaborative determination is part of what keeps Schwoeffermann coming back as well. “I think the folks in this space, everyone that attends really wants to be part of the solution,” he says. “We are working on the solutions we can control and I really appreciate the committee keeping that the focus of our work.”