Multnomah County defines completion of the program as accessing services. In three months, five people chose outpatient treatment, and one went into inpatient detox.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s been nearly a year since Multnomah County opened its deflection center in Portland’s Central Eastside, its original role envisioned as a place for law enforcement to take people caught in possession of drugs for connection to treatment instead of jail and prosecution.

The Coordinated Care Pathway Center opened in October despite significant pushback from neighbors. But some of the problems those neighbors envisioned haven’t really materialized.

“Nothing is really changing for the better,” said Jens Knudsen, co-chair of the Buckman Community Association. “We did anticipate a higher volume of people entering the neighborhood and sticking around — truth is, they haven’t been bringing that many people there in the first place.”

County data bears that out. From January 1 to March 31 of this year, officers referred people to the deflection center 62 times. Of those, 42 actually “engaged” with the program, meaning they arrived and spoke with staff.

Only six people completed deflection. And completion does not necessarily mean that someone has sought and received treatment — far from it. Completion means someone has accessed at least one service referral within 30 days.

The six who completed deflection accessed eight services between them. Five went to outpatient treatment, two received peer services, and one person went into withdrawal management, also known as detox.

“Cool,” Knudsen said flatly. “We paid how many millions of dollars for one person to go to detox?”

Multnomah County spent $3.8 million in taxpayer dollars to turn this temporary location into the Coordinated Care Pathway Center. Since it opened, a $4.3 million state grant has been funding operations. That runs out next month, and the county said that it anticipates more state funding in October.

“We should be getting people help, not spending money to do nothing,” said David Watnick.

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Watnick’s children attend a neighboring preschool, which sued the county last year over closed-door decisions made about the center.

“I think about it as a parent of the school, our biggest fear was that it was going to create an unsafe environment,” Watnick said. “If nobody’s using it, I guess that means there’s less risk to the neighborhood … but as a taxpayer, and also somebody who cares that people with serious drug addiction are getting clean, it’s like, what the hell is the point?”

Tony Vezina runs 4D Recovery, and his outreach workers have been part of the county’s deflection program since day one, even before the center opened its doors. He doesn’t agree that it’s been a waste of time or money.

“I think deflection overall has been going really, really well,” he said. “I mean, I would say to (skeptics), if deflection wasn’t intervening on people where else would they be going? Would there be anybody intervening on them?”

Since the deflection program launched in September 2024, officers have referred 283 people. Of those, 183 engaged with the program and 43 completed it. In terms of services, 16 went to outpatient treatment, 11 went into a shelter and seven went into withdrawal management.

“I’m actually encouraged about the number of people going into the program, but I’m not surprised to see the poor conversion rate for treatment because of the lack of capacity,” Vezina said. “One of the problems that we face is when someone is intervened on and they want to go into treatment — specifically, withdrawal management, detox — they have a hard time getting in the same day.”

That lack of capacity has been a complaint for years, but there are signs that it isn’t the only issue throwing up barriers these days. In March, administrators at Fora Health — which operates one of Portland’s only two large-scale withdrawal management centers — told KGW that demand had dropped precipitously over the year prior.

Al, a homeless man who camps about a block from the deflection center, said he uses fentanyl and methamphetamine. He’s been on the streets since he was 14, he said.

In Al’s opinion, having deflection as an option instead of arrest isn’t going to get people like him into treatment. It may be a choice, but it isn’t exactly voluntary, either.

“Anybody that’s using isn’t trying to get caught, so obviously, that’s going to deter people from getting into the program,” he said. “Treatment should be something you want to go to on your own — nobody’s ever going to get sober if they don’t want to do it.”

Vezina understands that perspective. He might have said the same, not so long ago.

“I felt that at one time — and I went to treatment voluntarily a couple times — and the last time I got clean, I got arrested and taken to jail. I got an opportunity to think about what I want to do with my life — and the research shows there really is no difference between compelled treatment and voluntary treatment success,” Vezina said. 

What the research does show is that the county’s current system is slow to meet the need.

“Where is all the funding going if only one person has done it?” Al said. “We’re still out here on the streets.”

“Why is it worth that much money and that much disruption, that much dollars and planning?” echoed Knudsen.

Vezina stressed that the deflection program isn’t the only way people are getting into treatment — groups like his do outreach work every day. And soon, he said, the deflection center will also be able to host people waiting for withdrawal management beds to open up, so they aren’t just turned back out onto the streets.

According to Multnomah County, data will be released later this month, showing deflection outcomes for April through June.