Vulnerable People and Places Blog

       There is a brand new shelter located in North Portland at the site of the Delta Park Motel. A former Motel 6 will now offer 70 private units and around the clock services to residents. It will be operated by Sunstone Way and backed by Multnomah County. They offer housing navigation, mental health resources, and trauma informed care with the added benefit of a 10-year lease. This indicates a rare opportunity for long term commitment instead of another band-aid on the problem.      The Delta Park site is more than a shelter for the community, it is a model that has a proven track record for transitioning people into permanent housing solutions. A study down by Portland State University in 2024 illustrates that motel-style shelters vastly outperform differing models for moving individuals into housing solutions that last.       If the community seeks to support this solution directly, Sunstone Way seeks donates that will directl...

  Portland, once renowned for its livability and creative communities, now wrestles with a deepening housing affordability crisis that directly fuels homelessness. Rising costs are pushing more residents into unstable living situations—and the city is struggling to keep pace. The Housing Crunch: Costs Far Outpacing Incomes Recent data paints a daunting picture: a household earning Portland’s 2024 median income of about $101,200 would still need to spend roughly 45% of its earnings on mortgage payments for a typical home priced at $551,500 (The Guardian, Axios). Homeownership, once a cornerstone of stability, now requires an income nearly three times higher than a decade ago. Renters face the same squeeze. Between 2013 and 2022, home prices rose seven times faster than wages (Portland.gov, Habitat for Humanity). Today, one in three renters and homeowners alike are cost-burdened, spending over 30%—and often over 50%—of their income on housing. This isn’t just about dollars. It’s abou...

 Vienna’s reputation as a “renters’ utopia” is no accident—it’s the result of a century-long commitment to social equity through housing. Unlike cities where affordability is slipping away, Vienna has managed to keep rents low, quality high, and communities diverse through a robust and layered social housing system. A Model Rooted in History The roots of Vienna’s success trace back to the “Red Vienna” era (1918–1934) , when the city’s Social Democratic government spearheaded a sweeping municipal housing drive. During this period, over 60,000 new apartments—known as Gemeindebauten —were constructed, offering well-designed, affordable housing with integrated public amenities like kindergartens, laundries, and clinics. Funding came through progressive housing taxes and federal support, offering deeply subsidized rents to those in greatest need. Social Housing as Mainstream Living Today, social housing is not a fringe sector in Vienna—it’s central. About 43% of the city’s one million h...

                              In the heart of Old Town Portland lies the Blanchet House of Hospitality. Since 1952, it has offered a simple promise to anyone in need of a meal or a fresh start. By focusing on providing essential services with dignity, Blanchet House has done more than just help people survive, instead offering them a path toward long-term stability. Blanchet Farm      Though the most visible parts of the work at Blanchet House have been the meal service at the Founders Café; Monday through Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and the women’s shelter at Bethanie’s Room providing overnight shelter for up to 75 women per night, Blanchet House’s lesser-known program; The Blanchet Farm; has provided a new model for helping men suffering from addiction and houselessness.       The Blanchet Farm located in Yamhill county, offers a deeper, more intensive oppor...

During the 2023-2024 school year, over 22000 students in the state of Oregon were classified as homeless. This constitutes about 4% of the state's K-12 population. Children need resources just as adults do so that they may be set up for success. Homeplate Youth Services is one of its kind in Washington County. They are a nonprofit organization that specializes in outreach for people 12-24 experiencing homelessness.  They have many different programs and services that they offer. They also have workshops for topics like getting help in education, employment, and housing. The most accessible program they offer is their drop in services at their Beaverton and Hillsboro locations. They offer things like assistance in receiving legal documents like birth certificates, signing up for government assistance programs like SNAP, as well as connections to housing and education. They also offer resources like showers, laundry, food, camping gear and more.  There are many ways t...

     Recently, Multnomah County has altered its rules for tent distribution. As of May this year, tents will only be given out in the context of severe weather events. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson claims the intent is to refocus resources on beds in shelters and other housing projects with the goal to no longer need to provide tents. Her suggested budget would consolidate supply warehouses and aim to save nearly $1 million to be earmarked for alternative services.       This change comes after immense legal and political pressure on the city council. Portland’s ADA settlements put a cap on when tarps can be handed out, and some legal experts say that the policy could put the city in violation. Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has pushed for a reduction on tent availability, citing concerns for fire hazards and further public safety worries.       However, service providers say that this new measure will harm those living o...

Laundry Love: The Gift of Clean Clothes        Access to clean, and high quality clothing is important for families and individuals facing homelessness or to those who have little to no income. There are many benefits when it comes to clean clothing and bedding. Individuals or families can improve their physical health and hygiene, maintain a better well being, increase their chances of opportunities and be respected and valued by the community. Thanks to Laundry Love, individuals and families in need, now have a place to wash their clothes and bedding items. Since 2003, Laundry Love has partnered with groups, schools, and local laundromats to wash clothes and bedding items to those who face little to no income or homelessness. Laundry Love is a nationwide organization that assists families and individuals with their laundry. They recognize the laundromat as a place that is inclusive, welcoming, and to make friends with one another. You are remembered by your na...

The Fast Track to Homelessness in Portland: Mental Health. When we think of homelessness, we can think of an array of issues that contribute its the issue. Lack of affordable housing, vets that come home with PTSD into a world built for the average civilian, disabilities, or drug and mental health-related issues. Notice that when those reasons are listed, many can argue that some of these are choices or simply the market, and others can argue that, regardless, it's an issue, that these things are complex, and that they need to be addressed. I personally agree. The one I want to hone in on, however, is mental health. Mental health has become more talked about with the rise of social media normalizing conversations on trauma, depression, and suicidal ideation. This doesn't mean, however it is fully normalized everywhere; some people don't have these hard conversations discussed in their family or community. This, as a result, ends up translating over to a certain extent, with...

Portland is facing a serious housing problem. Rent keeps going up, but many people’s paychecks have not changed. Because of this, more people are being evicted from their homes. From June 2024 to June 2025 , more than 11,800 evictions were filed in Multnomah County . Most of them over 90%   were because people couldn’t pay their rent. These are not bad tenants. These are families and individuals who are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. Most Renters Don’t Know the Law  When people go to eviction court, most of them are alone. Only 15% of tenants had a lawyer in the past year. But almost all landlords have legal help. This makes it very hard for tenants to win their cases. Most of the time, they lose because they don’t know what to say or do in court. The Oregon Law Center says that renters with a lawyer are much more likely to stay in their homes or get more time to move. But there are not enough lawyers to help everyone, and many people don’t know these s...