Appropriately addressing the homeless crisis

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Instead of deploying more officers, Portland is looking to address the roots of the homelessness crisis: systemic issues of long-term housing affordability and supportive services.
The homelessness crisis in Portland is a complicated one. There are currently at least 4,177 homeless people living in Portland, with or without shelter. And while the concern for the lives of the thousands of homeless families and individuals needs to be addressed, there is also the concern of employees of businesses and organizations occupied by homeless people living without shelter. There is a perceived danger for the employees of these establishments when they must pass homeless people to get to their work. This perceived danger is not entirely unfounded when there are recent reports of assault, in which the attackers happen to be homeless. The dilemma is that homeless people need food and shelter to survive, but providing proper food and shelter could be costly, and the presence of homeless people alone could hinder or stop the work of employees working in the metropolitan area. Homeless people need a place to stay, and a quick fix, such as arrest and imprisonment, is neither ethical nor cost-effective.
Fortunately, there has been recent efforts to expose the causes of homeless in Portland and to effectively assist homeless people. Ashley Henry, founding director of Business for a Better Portland, is working with her organization to identify and address the causes and effects of homelessness in Portland. Business for a Better Portland recognizes that addressing homelessness effectively benefits both homeless people and the quality and livability of the community as a whole. Business for a Better Portland believes that addressing the biggest problems associated with homelessness, namely income inequality, drug addiction, and inadequate mental health services, will cause the growth of homelessness in Portland to decrease and eventually stop.

For more information, and for a better overview of the topic, check out these news articles:
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/11/portlands_homeless_crisis_need.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/06/portlands_homeless_population.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/07/police_man_assaults_couple_wit.html



Gillis Sorg

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