With little fanfare, Multnomah County has adopted a new policy that lays out rules for how it will distribute tents and tarps to people living outside.

Multnomah County has proposed a draft policy to distribute tents and tarps to the homeless, but lacks accountability and fails to address previous issues, while the Joint Office of Homeless Services argues that these items are needed to save lives.

"Handing out a tent in a person's time of great need is like putting a Band-Aid on gangrene. It's not helping out at all," he said.