Session Schedule and Description

Session Schedule and Descriptions (updated 10/22/2026)

[NOTE: schedule is subject to change]

The schedule at a glance is available here [pending].

Session Block #1: 9:45am – 10:50am

Session Title: The FY 2028 Budget: Opportunity for Input on Budget Priorities

Location: SMSU Ballroom

Presenter(s): Anna Plumb, Nathaniel VerGow & Steven Ohl – Homeless Services Department

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: This interactive session will be an opportunity for current and future providers to contribute to the department’s FY 2028 budget submission. Participants will be provided with a general overview of the County’s budget and funding scenario going info FY 2028. HSD will present  multiple factors that drive budget decisions, and present a draft set of priorities that will drive our budget submission. Participants will work in small groups to review and comment on the priorities, and to identify and elevate factors they recommend for consideration.

Conference Track(s): Leadership in Challenging Times

This sessin is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Executive Team or Leadership, Board of Directors

Presentation slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: Introduction to the New HMIS

Location: SMSU 327/8

Presenter(s): Erin Anhoury & Bonny Vosu – Multnomah County

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: This session will present information regarding the HMIS replacement system, Clarity. It will provide information about why we are changing HMIS, where we are in the timeline, and short system demonstration. There will be an interactive piece where participants can provide what makes them most excited about the new system using their cell phones, which will display as a word cloud. There will be time for Q&A at the end.

Conference Track(s): Frontline Strategies and Best Practices, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: Understanding Transitional Housing Models & Programs in Multnomah County

Location: SMSU 296/8

Presenter(s): Alyssa Plesser – Homeless Services Department; Heather Romero – City of Portland

Presentation Format: Panel Discussion

Abstract: This session will focus on the Transitional Housing (TH) model and how changes in the federal funding landscape may increase the availability of TH in Multnomah County. We will feature a panel of Transitional Housing providers across the community to learn more about these programs. The panel will discuss common features of Transitional Housing programs, the sub-populations they support, and how they are integrated into our overall homeless services continuum.

Conference Track(s): Frontline Strategies and Best Practices, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Block #2: 11:05am – 12:10pm

 

Session Title: Metro Housing and Homeless Services Funding

Presenter(s): Liam Frost, Juan Carlos González, Alice Hodge, Margot Monti, Robin Ye – Metro Regional Government

Location: SMSU Ballroom

Presentation Format: Panel Discussion

Abstract: Metro Council has a new Council President and a new permanent director of Housing. Both President Gonzalez and Liam are prioritizing sharing their vision for the next steps for SHS and the affordable housing bond.

Conference Track(s): Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Volunteer or Community Relations, Finance, Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership, Board of Directors

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: Qualitative Findings from the Pathways Study

Location: SMSU 327/8

Presenter(s): Susan Avila & Kathleen Conte – Homeless Research and Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: The Pathways team, including members of the TREES Lived Experience Committee, will present results from qualitative interviews (N=29) conducted during the course of the Pathways Study. Presenters will share the results most relevant for housing and homeless service providers as well as interdisciplinary partners serving people experiencing homelessness. 

Conference Track(s): Frontline Strategies and Best Practices, The Power of Lived Experience

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Volunteer or Community Relations, Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership, Board of Directors

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title:  Understanding My Language!

Location: SMSU 296/8

Presenter(s): Patrick Alexander – PA Speaker 24

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: Understanding My Language: Culture, Identity, and Finances is a trauma-informed and lived experience-centered workshop designed for providers, counselors, mentors, CADC and CADC II professionals, supervisors, housing specialists, outreach teams, peer support workers, and community partners.

This engaging session explores how culture, identity, lived experience, and financial realities influence communication, relationship-building, service engagement, recovery, housing stability, and decision-making.  

Conference Track(s):  Frontline Strategies and Best Practices, The Power of Lived Experience, Leadership in Challenging Times, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Volunteer or Community Relations, Human Resources (HR), Finance, Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership, Board of Directors

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Block #3: 1:15pm – 2:20pm

 

Session Title: Unlocking Housing Stability Through Medicaid: Operational Realities, Policy Risks, and Health Outcomes

Location: SMSU Ballroom

Presenter(s): Miles Sledd – Multnomah County

Presentation Format: Collaborative Presentation with Discussion

Abstract: As states explore innovative intersections between healthcare financing and social determinants of health, Oregon’s Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver represents a landmark test in utilizing Medicaid dollars to fund housing stability and eviction prevention. In this session, Miles Sledd shares frontline insights from the Multnomah County Medicaid Waiver Rent Assistance Program (MWRAP), examining the transition of treating rent and utility relief not as conventional grant aid, but as an authorized clinical benefit akin to a medical prior authorization.

While MWRAP has successfully deployed over $8 million in rent and utility assistance to stabilize more than 1,300 households since April 2025, administering housing interventions within Medicaid managed care frameworks reveals critical structural friction. This presentation offers a candid analysis of the operational bottlenecks that arise when fitting crisis-driven housing assistance into rigid healthcare compliance, documentation, and billing regulations. Furthermore, the session examines macro-level policy implications—including the systemic risk of federal and local cost-shifting that could jeopardize traditional HUD eviction-prevention allocations—counterbalanced against the substantial return on investment achieved by mitigating acute healthcare and emergency-utilization costs when vulnerable households avoid homelessness.

Conference Track(s): Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Management, Executive Team or Leadership

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: Impacts of HR 1

Location: SMSU 327/8

Presenter(s): Lori Kelley – Homeless Services Department; Adam Peterson – HealthShare of Oregon; Yoni Kahn – Northwest Pilot Project; Danny Stribling – Transition Projects

Presentation Format: Listening and/or Problem Solving session

Abstract: The county, providers, and a local CCO host a session designed to better understand HR1 (“The Big Beautiful Bill”), and to collectively strategize around ways to ensure the people we serve stay connected to healthcare and nutrition benefits. This session will include a brief overview of what we already know about HR1, but will focus mainly on a frank open discussion about addressing barriers specific to the homeless population. 

Conference Track(s):  Leadership in Challenging Times, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Pending

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: From Ideas to Action: Building a 90-Day Plan for a Healthier Workplace

Location: SMSU 296/8

Presenter(s): Katricia Stewart – Community Wellbeing REC

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: Most people in homeless services already know what would help prevent burnout. The harder part is knowing where to start when budgets, staffing, and time are tight. In this workshop, participants use a three-tiered framework (structural, relational, and personal) to choose the burnout driver that most affects their team, brainstorm realistic fixes, and sort them by cost and impact. Each person then builds a one-page, 90-day action plan with a first step, the people who need to say yes, the likely barriers, and a simple way to tell whether it is working. Because the small groups mix roles and organizations, the session doubles as a networking opportunity, and attendees leave with shared language, a concrete plan, and new peer connections. It can serve as a follow-up to the May session, but no prior attendance is needed. 

Conference Track(s): Leadership in Challenging Times, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Human Resources (HR), Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Block #4: 2:40pm – 3:45pm

 

Session Title: PSH – Staff Safety Panel

Location: SMSU Ballroom

Presenter(s): Kristina Goodman – Homeless Services Department; Sam Nettles – New Narrative; Alexis Nuckles – Transition Projects; Leor Beverly – Urban League; Jovana Bustamante, – El Programa Hispano Catilico; Jill Weir – Do Good Multnomah; Katherine Moore – Community Partners for Affordable Housing

Presentation Format: Panel Discussion

Abstract: Staff working in PSH work at the complex intersection of Housing First, Trauma-Informed Care, and Harm Reduction – often while navigating real physical safety risks, environmental hazards, and emergency response delays. This session is not about abstract theories. It is a candid, honest conversation with providers about the real conditions staff face in PSH buildings, what practical strategies keep teams safe in the moment, and how leadership can step up to build real safeguards. Grounded in the principle that worker safety is an organizational priority rather than an individual staff member’s burden. This panel brings together experienced leaders from across local housing agencies to share operational solutions, build solidarity, and validate the frontline experience.

Conference Track(s): Frontline Strategies and Best Practices, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Administrative, Management

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: This session will not be available virtually

 

Session Title: Communicating to Build Trust:  A Practical Framework for Talking About Housing

Location: SMSU 327/8

Presenter(s): Alesha Delaney – HereTogether; Carrie DeLong Parrish – Streamline Storytelling

Presentation Format: Collaborative presentation with discussion

Abstract: Housing advocates have strong facts, compelling stories, and evidence that solutions work. But those messages don’t always build trust with people who are frustrated, skeptical, or still making up their minds. Without greater public trust and support, we risk losing the funding needed to address Oregon’s housing crisis.  In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how the Oregon Housing Narrative Campaign approaches communication with persuadable audiences and learn a four-part messaging framework for building trust and support.

Conference Track(s): Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Volunteer or Community Relations, Executive Team or Leadership, Communications

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending

 

Session Title: Homelessness Response System: Report back on shared goals

Location: SMSU 296/8

Presenter(s): Jillian Schoene & Robyn Johnson – Homelessness Response System

Presentation Format: Panel discussion

Abstract: Following up on the presentation and engagement at the June 2026 conference, the HRS team will bring back the goals adopted in September 2026 by the Homelessness Response System. These goals and key performance indicators intend to decrease inflow into homelessness, increase movement into housing, and improve outcomes for people with behavioral health diagnoses, and more. The HRS Team will update HSD providers and partners on the adopted KPIs and goals and share what is needed to meet these outcomes in the coming years. The presentation will share opportunities to engage in budget conversations to support the goals and KPIs. The goals are meant to be ambitious, but achievable based on what is known about the number of people becoming newly homeless each month and what it takes financially and programmatically to move people into housing.

Conference Track(s): Leadership in Challenging Times, Emerging Needs and Opportunities

This session is open to all, may best appeal to the following jobs/roles: Direct Service or Client Facing, Policy or Advocacy, Volunteer or Community Relations, Administrative, Management, Executive Team or Leadership, Board of Directors

Presentation Slides: Pending

Link for Virtual Meeting: Pending