Hallett Slams DSA and Peacock Caucus for Turning Portland’s Homeless Crisis Into a $1.5 Billion Grift - Demands Forensic Audits and Accountability for Tax Dollars Funneled to Political Allies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR — July 4, 2026 — Matthias Hallett, candidate for Portland City Council District 3, today sharply criticized DSA Councilor Angelita Morillo and the Peacock progressive caucus for presiding over more than $1.5 billion in Portland-area taxpayer spending on homelessness programs with no meaningful results and virtually no accountability.
“Portland has poured over a billion and a half dollars into so-called solutions since 2022, much of it funneled through dark-money NGOs and politically connected nonprofitS and the crisis has only exploded,” Hallett said. “Visible homelessness is up dramatically. Open drug markets operate in plain sight. Families and businesses are paying the price while a connected class of insiders are getting rich. This isn’t compassion. This is a multi-hundred-million-dollar grift enabled by the the Peacock bloc and the rest of the City Council who cower in fear.”
Hallett pointed to the regional Supportive Housing Services tax and related spending streams that have directed well over $1.4 billion into the system since 2020, with the majority flowing through nonprofit contractors. Despite the massive outlay - including roughly $724 million in direct homeless services in fiscal year 2024 alone, the tri-county area has seen homelessness surge, with point-in-time counts rising 61% in recent years.
“The Peacock caucus and their DSA allies have treated Portland Area taxpayers like their personal ATM, shielding their political allies from scrutiny while Portlanders suffer the consequences,” Hallett continued. “Angelita Morillo and the rest of the socialist bloc have coordinated to protect this rigged system instead of demanding results. This rip off needs to end now.”
Hallett’s comments align with his campaign platform calling for full forensic audits of homelessness spending and criminal investigations where evidence of waste or fraud exists. He has pledged to treat every tax dollar sent to unaccountable NGOs as presumptively suspect until proven otherwise.
“Portland doesn’t need more studies or more money thrown at the same corrupt contractors,” Hallett said. “We need sunlight, accountability, and leadership willing to root out the waste so resources actually reach the people and neighborhoods that need them — not the political insiders who have been cashing in and moving to Lake Oswego.”
Hallett framed the issue as central to his “Let’s Put the Love Back in Portland” campaign, arguing that real compassion means delivering results, not enriching allies while streets grow more dangerous.
“Every dollar wasted on this unaccountable machine is a dollar stolen from actual public safety, from actual small businesses providing a service to the community, and from actual Portlanders who deserve a city that works,” he said. “I’m running to stop the theft and restore basic accountability to our government. I’m calling on all City Council members - including the Peacocks - to support independent audits and to stop shielding the homeless industrial complex from real oversight.”
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About Matthias Hallett Matthias Hallett is a Portland attorney and small business advocate running for City Council in District 3. With a background in law, entrepreneurship, and service to this country, he is campaigning on a platform of restoring public safety, cutting red tape for local businesses, and demanding full accountability for every tax dollar. His campaign is built on the simple promise to put the love back in Portland through results, not rhetoric.
Media Contact: Laurin Hallett, vote@matthiashallett.com
