Vulnerable People and Places Blog

  (Photo Source:  https://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/real-estate/item/18431-estimates-point-to-thousands-of-vacant-apartments ) Every day a student passes through downtown Portland, they will come across a vast homeless population struggling to keep themselves warm. Towering above Their head in the beautiful Portland skyline is plenty of unoccupied apartments, too high price for the average American earning minimum wage to rent.  How do we provide the homeless population with space, if there are no affordable apartments they can occupy? How can we guarantee that pricing does not force more people onto the streets? A solution is needed, and researchers in London are proposing perhaps taxing is the first step.  In 2018 there were a total of 6,000-17,000 vacant units in downtown Portland. With on average 4000 individuals a year suffering from various states of homelessness. To get them off the street, we need to incentivize Mainstreet to meet these individuals half...

When one thinks of global hunger, it's difficult to grasp how and to what extent one could possibly make a difference decreasing world hunger. As one of the richest countries in the world, it's unfathomable to believe that hunger could be a crisis. Oregon reports that 1 in 5 Oregonians suffer from food insecurity and difficulty providing food to put on their family's table. Fortunately there are organizations that aim to alleviate hunger and want to expand their outreach as far as possible.  Below are 4 organizations that cater to those who face hunger in Portland, regardless of housing situation. Urban Gleaners  is a non-profit that rescues food before it goes to waste and get it to the people who need it. Pickup times and pantry locations all around Portland are listed on their site.  Oregon Food Bank  recognizes that "Hunger starves the human spirit." As a statewide organization, they offer food assistance to anyone in need throughout Oregon and Clark County, W...

(Infographic by FHC) How a Crisis Response System can help end homelessness. A crisis response system can help people exit homelessness quickly and effectively. The goals of an effective crisis response system are to identify those experiencing homelessness, prevent homelessness when possible, connect people with housing quickly, and provide services when needed. An effective response system achieves those goals by outreach, coordinated entry, diversion and prevention, emergency shelters and interim housing, and permanent housing.  Outreach workers can connect people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to coordinated entry, emergency services, and shelter. Working with other programs in the system can connect people to stable, permanent housing.  Coordinated entry can be implemented with a re-examination of a community's entire homelessness system. It can quickly identify, assess, refer, and connect people in crisis to housing and assistance and services.  Diversion a...

        Homelessness can be a daunting task to try and accomplish if you do not know where to start. For many, homelessness may seem like an issue we cannot help with; it may seem like it is solely up to the person experiencing homelessness. However, there is a lot that a person like you or I can do to help better someone's situation.       The first and most obvious solution is to donate. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness , steady, monthly donations are a great way to provide. With a monthly gift , the Alliance has a source of income they can count on to provide service. They have reported that with donations like these, homelessness has gone down from 2010 to 2019.       If you cannot donate money at this time, then old clothing or canned food in your pantry can be of great help. If you want to donate food, the Oregon Food Bank is a great place to do so. Clothes can be dropped off at shelters, The S...

  As the weather changes, it invariably becomes more important that we all have the necessary clothing and shelter to survive.  This is a difficult challenge for the homeless who struggle not only with attaining their own resources, but are limited on resources provided from missions and charitable organizations.  Furthermore, a large percentage of individuals (35-40 percent) are faced with challenges of personal resourcefulness due to both physical and mental disabilities.   We are also facing a time where community support and outreach is a challenge we are faced with due to COVID-19 and, if we face reality, not enough people are contributing to the solution with their time and own resources.  What we can do that is not a burden on ourselves and provides those capable the ability to assist is to aid in the donation of goods.  For example, the Portland Rescue Mission has influenced the use of “Care Kits” that we all can distribute.   This is som...

For most people who menstruate getting your period is already a disruptive, sometimes painful, and even debilitating occurrence . And while most people learn over time how to deal with the monthly fatigue and find the sanitary products that work best for their bodies and lifestyle needs, homeless people in America are left without the resources and supplies needed to properly attend to their cycles.  Hurdles to Proper Menstrual Hygiene for the Homeless Here are a few different barriers that homeless people face when it comes to managing their periods: The Cost On average, a person needs about 20 tampons or pads per menstrual cycle. A store-brand box of 36 tampons costs about $7 . This may not seem like a lot of money, but for many people, the cost is a considerable burden. Seven dollars can be the difference between eating a hot meal that day or being able to afford a bed in a hostel for the night. For this reason, many people tend to forgo buying period products and instead resort...

  Most people who live in Portland are very familiar with "tent city", as many homeless people have to rely on living in tents to survive. All of their belongings are just behind a tent with a zipper, and if things get stolen, they get stolen. It does not offer much protection against the cold weather outside or any other dangerous people around them.  As you drive downtown and in NE and SE Portland you can see huge areas of just tents, and yes, it can be an eye sore, but at least you're not the one living in these tents. It just shows us we need a safer way for these people to find resources for affordable housing or something that's better than just fabric. 

               An essential part of having a safe life where you can properly take care of yourself is having a consistent stream of income. Without income you lose out on healthcare, food, water, and safety. Consistent income and employment is key to gaining housing stability. All of which are basic needs that every human being is entitled to. In the United States. As well as the United Kingdom, unemployment and poverty are two of the most common causes of homelessness. We know that homelessness is not monolithic, but rather something that can happen in a vacuum. There are many nuances to homelessness. Many of the causes of homelessness as well as income insecurity can cause a ripple effect of sorts. According to “The Balance” there are three primary causes of unemployment in The United States, all of which fall into two highly relevant categories. The first is cynical, This is usually when the demand for work is too high and the number o...

Homelessness has been on the rise in Portland. Especially since the impact of COVID-19 has hit the city. A study has predicted that homelessness in the city will have risen 40-45% since the pandemic began in March. Houseless folks face brutal discrimination for something that is inevitably out of their control every single day. This is particularly true if you are a minority of some kind or if you have a substance abuse problem. According to the official "point in time" homeless count, in Multnomah County, the homeless population of transgender folks has doubled in only two years. Although it is also likely that this number is no longer accurate considering that not every individual can identify themselves as trans due to safety reasons. Homeless folks also face a lot of discrimination with policing in Portland. Back in 2018 The Oregonian came out with a shocking report stating that half of arrests police made in 2017 were of homeless folks who only made up 3% of the city’...

The homeless community has been pushed into a corner and is continuously being punished for simply being present in public spaces when they have no other alternatives. In many American cities, the supply of affordable housing and emergency shelter spaces have been tremendously disproportionate to the thousands of people left to survive outdoors. However, many cities have decided to criminalize them for demonstrating what any human being would do in order to live. (Source: kairoscenter.org) The National Law Center conducted a survey in 187 cities, both documenting the number and type of municipal codes criminalizing the homeless people on their life-sustaining behaviors. These common targeted laws include the prohibiting of “camping” in public, sleeping in public or in private vehicles, begging in public, loitering in public, sitting or lying down in public, the sharing of food, and the list goes on. As opposed to protecting public interest as the laws were established to objectively do...

In times of despair, the feeling of being alone is often most dominant, but it doesn't have to be. There is assistance available to those in need and for those who desire to create a better life for themselves. This is where transitional housing support comes in. Portland is relatively resourceful in its availability of transitional housing aid. If you or anyone you know is serious about transitioning, check out the organizations in this infographic to receive support along the way. Each organization's name, URL, phone number and physical address is listed, and direct links will be listed down below.  Alternatively, if you are an organization that caters to the transitioning community, please do not hesitate to get in contact and add your organization to this list of resources. Portland Homeless Family Housing Transition Projects Central City Concern Portland Housing Center Nami | OR Clackamas County Created by Alondra Warren