Contributors of Homelessness Infovideo

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A short video on three contributors to homelessness in Oregon. The aim of the Infovideo is to link mental health, substance use, and cost of living together and show that homelessness isn't as simple as "drugs = homeless".

The homeless population are people too, with feelings and emotions and struggles just like everyone else. They are not lesser. 

Transcript:

There are many factors that contribute to homelessness.

Most commonly: Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, and Cost of Living Increases

Homelessness isn’t as black and white as one may think. It’s the product of economics, mental and physical health, job loss, foreclosure, and many other things that can drive a household to the streets.

Fentanyl has taken over Portland’s streets, with its low cost and prevalence making it a popular choice amongst substance abusers. It has also seen record overdoses and is recognized as one of the leading causes of death among people under the age of 50.

The range of homeless persons who are also using substances is estimated between 58%-88% in Portland. Those who face this challenge often also have underlying mental illness issues.

Portland Street Medicine reports that 37% of those with mental health issues are reported to also have a substance use disorder. Over 80% of the city’s unsheltered, houseless people have at least one disability, with as much as 40% of them having a severe mental health disorder.

In Oregon Live’s survey of 300 unsheltered Portlanders in June of 2022, 66% of those who have reported mental health issues say they suffered from depression, 65% from anxiety, 52% from PTSD, and 40% from BPD. Their survey resulted in 40% of their participants also having a substance abuse disorder.

Oregon is seeing an estimated deficit of nearly 98,000 homes to house its current population. In Multnomah County, over 21,000 people rely on federal disability benefits, which can no longer cover the cost of a single-bedroom apartment compared to 2010.

Marisa Zapata, director of Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, says that “It doesn’t really matter what lens you look at it through. Escalation of housing values and rising rents is what causes homelessness.”

It's not just drugs. Be kind. Be informative. 

Video clips and soundtrack from Envato.

Resources:

https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/12/oregon-has-highest-rate-of-homeless-families-in-the-country.html?utm_campaign=theoregonian_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/09/oregon-homelessness-history-background-housing-solutions/#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20factors%20that,the%20state's%20affordable%20housing%20shortage.

https://johs.us/understanding-homelessness/

https://www.portlandstreetmedicine.org/the-problem#:~:text=Over%2080%25%20of%20unsheltered%20houseless,substance%20use%20disorder%20(SUD).

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2022/06/63-of-homeless-portlanders-report-suffering-from-mental-health-issues-and-say-they-need-more-help-false-promises-survey.html#:~:text=Of%20those%20people%20who%20reported,40%25%20from%20substance%20use%20disorder

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