Taking another step toward a truly regional response to homelessness, Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties have selected a provider to deliver a modern, transparent and services-first system for tracking and reporting homelessness data.
Bitfocus, a technology company with national experience providing homeless response technology systems, will work with the three counties and dozens of community providers to replace the region’s outdated, legacy Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
Better data leads to more informed decisions. Investing in new technology will help ensure accurate and timely data and increase accountability while helping frontline workers, decision-makers and the whole community make progress on the homelessness crisis.
A Homeless Management Information System is a federally required database that collects and manages data on homelessness and homeless services. For the tri-county area, the system serves as a hub where community organizations, government agencies and service providers can share real-time information about people experiencing homelessness.
The technology provided by Bitfocus will better serve the community and increase transparency around the work — all while being easier to use. New features will include:
- A better system for tracking available shelter beds, simplifying the process for people seeking shelter as well as for providers.
- Easier and mobile data entry for street outreach workers — ensuring outreach services are more organized and targeted.
- A portal that would let people receiving homeless services access and view their information on their own, something that’s not currently available.
- More opportunities to directly integrate homeless services data with other care systems (like healthcare).
- Better reporting and analytics that will make it easier for providers and elected officials to make data-informed policy and program decisions.
19-year-old system no longer meeting community’s needs
The current system, created in 2006, predates the significant expansion in local funding for homeless services that began in 2015 and grew even larger when voters approved Metro’s Supportive Housing Services Measure in 2020. It focused, instead, primarily on compliance reporting for federally funded service programs.
And as services have grown locally, the data systems necessary to support them have also had to grow more sophisticated.
Today, the Homeless Management Information System is no longer just a compliance tool; it serves as the basis of the vast majority of local homelessness data. Nearly every provider receiving county funding in the Portland region for homeless services enters data into the system, the result of deliberate work to improve data entry across all providers.
The system, initially administered by the Portland Housing Bureau, moved to Multnomah County’s control in 2024. That transfer, along with a series of other data improvements led by the Homeless Services Department — has allowed Multnomah County to create a by-name list of people experiencing homelessness. That list powers a recently unveiled monthly dashboard on the number of people experiencing homelessness and the services they receive.
All three counties are using the data system in much more complicated ways than it was designed for, and it’s been clear for years that the current system is no longer meeting the needs of the community.
In 2023, Multnomah County engaged Gartner Consulting to analyze the current system. The analysis revealed clear limits to the existing, outdated Homeless Management Information System tool and helped coalesce a vision for what a new and improved system could deliver. A 2024 report from the Multnomah County Auditor came to similar conclusions, showing that while the Homeless Services Department’s rehousing data was 96% accurate, a better data system overall was still needed.
“Improving our complex data system is a long-term project. It’s been years in the making, and we still have a ways to go before it’s complete,” said Anna Plumb, interim director of the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department. “We’re ready to get to work with Bitfocus to create a system that meets the needs of our community and gives us more tools to understand and end homelessness.”
“Homelessness is a regional challenge that impacts us all,” said Molly Rogers, executive director of the Department of Housing Services for Washington County. “This new system will allow us to more clearly see the way homelessness crosses county lines and continue to collaborate on regional housing solutions.”
“Our Homeless Management Information System is a critical, systemwide investment,” said Shannon Callahan, Director of Clackamas County’s Housing and Community Development Division. “We look forward to collaborating with our regional partners to strengthen the information systems we all rely on to serve our most vulnerable residents.”
The work to improve the region’s homelessness data has been made possible because of the Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure, approved by voters in 2020.
"By building a smarter and more connected data system, we’re not just improving efficiency — we’re making it easier for outreach teams and other frontline workers to offer people living on our streets the right help at the right time,” said Metro Interim Housing Director Liam Frost.
Procurement process engages dozens of partner organizations
The regional procurement process for a new provider was led by Multnomah County, with support from Washington and Clackamas counties, and involved engaging with 82 staff representing more than 40 organizations, including community providers and different government agencies.
Bitfocus, which provides data systems in Los Angeles and King County, among other communities, consistently impressed the scoring panel and subject matter experts with its powerful yet simple user interface, alignment with future needs, customer partnership philosophy and commitment to ending homelessness.
Bitfocus proved that it can create software that is easy to use, delivers better and more robust reports and dashboards, integrates seamlessly with other software systems, and has many other features that aren’t possible with the current software.
Next steps
Because of the complexity of the project, and the number of partners involved, the work to deliver, refine and rollout a new system will take a few more years to reach full implementation. Initially, Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties will focus on transitioning existing services and providers to the new platform. Then, the counties will work on expanding the platform to obtain improved data in outreach and shelter programs.
Rolling out a new system to dozens of providers across the region that provide a diverse mix of services will require robust training, along with continued work to ensure the data is accurate. By investing in this deliberate transition process, the counties can ensure the end result achieves the community’s aims: a better system that will let providers, administrators and elected leaders use data in new and innovative ways.