Vulnerable People and Places Blog

  For a young person experiencing homelessness, the path to stability is filled with obstacles that go far beyond the immediate need for shelter. What prevents them from finding and keeping a home and a job? Often, it’s a lack of consistent relationships, the absence of practical job skills, and a deficit in necessary creative and educational opportunities. In Portland, one organization has been tackling these core challenges for over two decades: p:ear. Founded on the principles of building community and fostering growth, p:ear offers a unique and essential space for homeless and unstably housed youth ages 15 to 25; a safe environment where young people are treated with respect and given the tools to build their own futures. Their approach directly answers the question of what it takes to break the cycle of homelessness by providing three key elements: education, job training, and a supportive community. The programs at p:ear are designed to meet youth where they are. The “p:e...

        President Trump's newly signed executive order to addresses homelessness. It encourages local governments to remove outdoor encampments and place individuals into mental health or addiction treatment.  Funding is being redirected toward programs that prioritize sobriety and enforce bans on drug use and urban camping, marking a move away from the longstanding “Housing First” strategy that prioritized placing people in stable housing before requiring treatment.      The decision has ignited sharp criticism from homelessness and public health advocates. Organizations like the National Homelessness Law Center and the National Alliance to End Homelessness argue that institutionalizing unhoused people with mental illness is not a dignified or evidence-based approach. It  criminalizes homelessness, treating people as public safety threats rather than individuals in need of support.  The order doesn’t address the shortage of afforda...

Our Just Future: A place where many families have escaped poverty and homelessness Our Just Future, formerly known as Human Solutions, is a social services organization in Portland, Oregon that provides many resources for those in need. This organization services East Portland and East Multnomah County but is welcomed to all. Their vision states that they "envision vibrant, healthy neighborhoods where all people can share in the security, hopes, and advantages of a thriving, supportive community." This organization started in 1988 from the Multnomah County Community Action Agency, they provided seniors and low income households with home weatherization and utility assistance. Then in 1994, Human Solutions built it's first affordable housing complex in Gresham. They now are the largest provider of shelter and housing for homeless families in Multnomah county. Children also have a safe place to stay and play while their parents rebuild their lives and work to become self su...

Portland, Oregon is a place that does fortunately offer multiple resources of healthcare for our homeless population. And everyday community members in this field work to make them more accessible. For those with online access, The Portland.gov resource hub serves as a practical lifeline—offering information on shelter, crisis hotlines, behavioral health services, and accessibility support. While less expressive in form, this centralized infrastructure is vital for coordinating care and ensuring that individuals can find safe spaces and  professional help when needed. These initiatives illustrate a layered response to homelessness: one that spans the poetic to the pragmatic, the therapeutic to the logistical. Portland.gov ultimately provides the roadmap for survival. Each offers an essential piece in the puzzle of recovery and dignity. Greater Portland Health’s Healthcare for the Homeless Program exemplifies a compassionate and trauma-informed approach to public health. Grounde...

 Portland and it's race problem.  How It Connects to Housing Does Portland even have one? Wait what ? does Portland even really have a race problem? I mean after all Portland has been described as a liberal utopia, it has a more robust healthcare system compared to other states and often ranks high in terms of positive attitudes towards social and economic equality. It has been ahead of the curve in many progressive policies that some would call far left thorough out the 2000's.  Whilst that may be the case, Portland suffers from issues one that can be described as arrogance. Looking like liberals patting themselves on the back and ignoring the history of city and the overall ethnic makeup.  Portland is located in Oregon, a state that historically did not allow black people. Our state became one in 1859 and only later allowed black people to reside and own land in 1926, over a 100 years later from the states inception. It had a large influence from the Klux Clan that...

     The housing epidemic is no stranger to Portland. One of the biggest factors is the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing in the area. The living costs have kept rising coupled with the same average salaries throughout the years with no signs of salaries rising to match rent costs. So with that, eviction rates in Portland have been on the rise and are exponentially growing. From June 2025 to June 2026 the total evictions filed in Multnomah County alone equated to over 11,800 cases. For each month, 90% or more of the evictions were filed due to rent non-payment.       Unfortunately, if these tenants are being evicted due to nonpayment, they are unable to afford any representation by a lawyer for their case. In the past 12 months, only 15% of all the eviction cases had tenants that had legal representation. The Oregon Law Center made an analysis of The Oregon Judicial Department’s eviction data and found that the tenants outrightly won a...

The Oregon Department of Transportation has halted its $4 million annual payments to the City of Portland for removing homeless camps from state-owned properties after the state legislature failed to pass a transportation funding package. In announcing the cut, ODOT cited the need to balance its own budget and warned of possible layoffs within the agency. While contracted cleanup efforts will continue, they’ll operate at reduced levels, though a previously approved $900,000 fencing project to block camping near I-405 is still slated to move forward. Despite the scale-back in state-funded sweeps, Portland’s unsheltered residents can still turn to several community-led resources. Hygiene4All offers a sanitized shower trailer, clothing and bedding exchanges, and on-site health workers who provide first aid, enroll guests in food assistance and health insurance, and make medical referrals. They’re open Sundays and Thursdays from 3 pm to 9 pm, plus Tuesdays and Fridays from 3 pm to 7 pm at ...

  How Music Benefits Portland's Homeless Community Portland is no stranger when it comes to its music scene. They have so many options for a variety of groups to perform with openness of genres as well. It’s great to also learn their music scene can promote such a great cause in helping minorities like the homeless community.   A program called the Artist Mentorship Program (AMP)   is a Portland based non-profit that provides a creative space for homeless youth to build healthy, relationship-centered communities through music and art activities. AMP’s philosophy centers on the belief that homeless youth are resilient and creative and  deserve a dynamic support system that nurtures their growth. It’s a vibrant community of artists, mentors, and caring Portlanders working together to uplift young voices.   There is a collaboration between the amazing Oregon Symphony and the Path Home Village Family Shelter, a Portland nonprofit serving families experiencin...