PDX Saints Love calls out Mayor Wilson, claims city ‘dropped ball’ on funding

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local non-profit is calling out Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, accusing him of praising their work in public only to omit them from potential funding in private.

PDX Saints Love says even before Wilson became the mayor, he had been partnering with the nonprofit to open day centers. But leadership says they were essentially cut out of the funding process to expand this work.

“We had this journey together, PDX Saint Love and Keith, to open day centers to meet this need in our community. And then on the other end of it, we were forgotten,” said executive director Kristle Delihanty.

It’s been more than a year since Wilson helped open the PDX Saints Love Day Center at a former church in Southeast Portland.

In March 2024, Wilson spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The then-mayoral candidate told KOIN 6 News the day center was a “linkage to help [the homeless] be that future person that they are.”

However, four months into his term, the center — which serves roughly 1,800 people — is set to shut its doors.

Despite talks with the city about potentially expanding operations in July, Delihanty said she was blindsided to learn from Wilson that the nonprofit missed a deadline for city funding — a process she claims they were left out of.

She told KOIN 6 News she learned the city opened and closed a funding application for homeless service providers to run its new shelters and day centers directly from Wilson during PDX Saints Love’s funding gala in March.

“He was sitting there telling my staff, ‘Are you excited? On July 1, you’re expanding to six days a week,’” Delihanty recalled. “Knowing that at the beginning of the gala, I had asked him when the RFP (Request for Proposal) was coming out, and he was like, ‘Wait, it already came out. It closed two days ago.’”

Frustrated, Delihanty wrote a letter to the Mayor and City Council on May 14.

“Our work was leveraged as part of [Wilson’s] campaign platform, and our budget was solicited under the assumption that this work would continue,” she wrote.

Portland Chief Procurement Officer Sylvester Donelson responded in a letter obtained by KOIN 6 News. He noted the non-profit was invited to a listening session on June 10, which was held by the Mayor and Portland Solutions for interested service providers.

“Our records indicate you attended that listening session, where participants were invited to share contact information for follow-up communication,” Donelson wrote. “…but it appears we did not receive contact details from PDX Saints Love at that time.”

According to Donelson, the city shared news of the upcoming application process in its newsletter and across social media platforms. He also noted that in an effort to avoid appearing biased, once the application process starts, it is city policy not to reach out to potential applicants.

However, text messages obtained by KOIN 6 News show the city reached out to PDX Saints Love on the morning of the meeting. City staffer Kristopher Taft text Delihanty,  “So so so sorry for the last-minute invite. I was not in charge of the invite list.”

“I don’t think that Keith Wilson purposefully used me as a pawn,” Delihanty told KOIN 6 news. “Although, I do believe that organization name-dropping during a campaign is using the labor and backs of small, underfunded nonprofits to gain power and position.”

She told KOIN 6 News she’s not upset at any one person, as she believes the issue isn’t personal, but that it’s systemic.

“I believe someone dropped the ball, and no one’s taking responsibility for it,” Delihanty said. “I want to know why small community-based organizations that are led by peers, that are deeply embedded in our communities, continually get left out of not just funding opportunities but conversations around policies and processes in our city.” 

While the nonprofit will continue, without city funding, Delihanty said her hands are tied and the day center will have to close this summer.

“What goes through my mind are faces. I’m thinking about our staff that run the day center, that put their blood, sweat, and tears into this work, ” She added. “Our participants who come here every day for a meal, or a haircut, or a shower, and how those things are not going to be accessible to them.”

When KOIN asked Mayor Wilson about the process, his office sent the following statement:

“As a longtime supporter and believer in Kristle Delihanty and PDX Saints Love, I’ve seen firsthand how she changes lives. While I’m disappointed in this missed opportunity to compete for a City contract, I stand by our transparent and equitable procurement process. I continue to believe that PDX Saints Love has an important role in helping our most vulnerable, a belief I’ve shared and discussed with Ms. Delihanty after this missed opportunity came to light.”

“We hope to continue to explore creative options with PDX Saints Love for them to continue their important work,” added Portland Solutions Director Skyler Brocker-Knapp.