Vulnerable People and Places Blog

  Out of the top 10 causes of homelessness in Portland , 8 of them are mental health related. The vast majority of people living on the street suffer from disabilities. Without a safe place to call home, getting better is even harder.   What doesn’t make things any easier is the Portland Police. In 2017 the Oregonian found that 52%   of arrests were homeless. The numbers didn’t change much in 2020 . Source Thankfully, the City of Portland has pushed for progressive change on two fronts: tiny homes and a special homeless first responder unit called Portland Street Response. I wrote about tiny homes a few weeks ago. The new division of the police department was voted on in 2019 but was delayed until early February 2021 and finally launched in the Lents neighborhood on Feb 9 th . The program aims to send 4 person units to respond to emergency calls in place of a traditional police response. The teams are comprised of a paramedic, a mental health clinician, and...

          Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan has announced recently that the local government is looking into a program that would allow for those experiencing houselessness that live in cars to safely park. This so-called “Safe-Park Program” would occur in the form of a large parking lot where people could park their cars. These lots would include communal spaces for food and bathing as well as access to social workers and mental health counselors on site.       In an interview for “Think Out Loud” on OPB, Ryan stated, “ I know out in my neighborhood in North Portland, you’re seeing so many people parked alongside the road... We could organize those cars and those RVs into a big parking lot that had hygiene, safety, that had food services, and that had also mental health services,” Ryan says that the program would take shape in the form of a two-step process; first, the parking lot program, and second, a communal discussion for alterna...

During this time of extreme homelessness in the Portland area there is one silver lining for many people who experience new or chronic homelessness. This is the ability to make a constant community that usually would be taken away by the act of sweeping. Sweeping is what the Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program, or HUCIRP, does when homeless camps are established, but in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a recent halt due to concerns of spreading the virus. This has led many people who have previously been experiencing a constant nomadic life style be able to experience some form of stability for the first time in a long time.  Although, the sweeps are now starting once more with the office of Mayor Ted Wheeler ordering them again during a time of extreme weather conditions and a spike in the virus, citing that the encampments, or street camps, are a health risk and obstruct access to shared community spaces. For many people facing chronic homeless...

  We have seen many challenges in this season for our country- environmental disasters, a pandemic, and heartbreakingly so- great division in our city. We've lost the ability to see, respect, and communicate with one another despite our differences leading to an even lower engagement with those in our neighborhoods who are hurting and homeless. Amidst all of these hardships exists a wonderful organization called Because People Matter that focuses on helping at-risk families and homeless populations in the local Portland area (specifically near the Burnside bridge). This organization hosts a weekly evening (Thursday nights from 7:30-9:30) of outreach into the homeless community to provide them with the opportunity to get a meal, receive basic necessities, as well as get a haircut/shave/feet washing and have their shoes replaced. It's called Nightstrike. With all of the distractions we are faced with in our daily lives, it’s always easier to turn the other cheek and ignore the...

  Drugs and Homelessness:A Look Into Portlands Homeless Population & Drug Addictions  The homeless population over recent decades have begun to grow exponentially here in the downtown area of Portland. As somebody who lives in the heart of this city I see drugs, homelessness, and death on the streets weekly. Almost every night you can hear gun shots, somebody screaming, or a police siren. It has become extremely apparent that our homeless population has grown, and with that so has drug addictions  Drugs seems to be one of the most, if not thee most, important aspect to people becoming homeless. After I built the courage I finally walked across the street and decided to interview some of the local homeless campers and why they are living this way, and after that it became very clear to what drove people to this lifestyle. It was drugs, lots and lots of drugs and everyone I interviewed was perfectly okay with admitting that.  One of the most heart breaking things a...

          Houselessness is not easily attributed to a particular cause or condition. The language surrounding "homelessness" has changed within time to fit better narratives that will comfort individuals who do not want to think about their circumstances. Factors like mental illness or substance use disorder can be a contributing factor, but that is not sufficient to describe every situation. Language is important when talking about substance use disorder. Words like " addict " are dismissive, attributing to a human fault, and dehumanizing.      Everyone has a unique situation and not reducible to a simple cause. A country with more vacant homes that account for that ratio of   31 empty units for every homeless person in the U.S  is alarming. However, this contentious issue of giving housing to the homeless raises ethical, ideological, and political questions. The resolution seems simple but has its complications and bu...

Boston Subway Station, Massachusetts, USA. Michael. In the United States today there are many causes of homelessness, where many of us assume the cause is due to an unfortunate financial situation of an individual or their family. Though in some cases of homelessness they are situated with varieties of mental illness, and a lack of necessary services that they need. In the National Coalition of Homelessness , most researchers agree that the connection between homelessness and mental illness is a complicated, two-way relationship. An individual’s mental illness may lead to cognitive and behavioral problems that make it difficult for them to earn a stable income, or to carry out daily activities in ways that encourage stable housing. Another point is that for young people who are not pursuing their education, or who are unable to and have dropped out of school—it becomes more difficult for them to then exit their current homeless situation. Mainly because they often don’t have strong...

                                     One of the biggest faults that every human being shares is the temptation to judge. The instinct to instantly judge something or someone based off of either face value or what the societal standard is at the time is very common. Especially today with the constant advancements in social media. Whatever the public standard dictates is what the majority of the population thinks initially at the very least. This thought process behind public perception applies in a big way when it comes to the community of people who experience homelessness.      Homelessness is very prevalent issue, especially in the Portland metropolitan area. It is constantly being thought about and nonprofit organizations are always finding ways to better educate people about it as well as finding shelter for this community. Although these efforts have made a significant impa...

P:ear is an organization that works with homeless and high-risk youth. Anyone who is under the age of 24 who is unhoused or in unstable housing may join P:ear. P:ear has many amazing programs to help youth find a sense of purpose and community, starting with their kitchen. P:ear provides two free meals a day in addition to cooking classes for the youth in their programs.  P:ear also supports youth gain important documents like their IDs and furthers education by supporting youth who are training to gain their GED or high school diploma. P:ear also offers training or skill-building that could directly help them gain employment. Such as a 10-week barista training program, and a ten-week training program for the basics of bike mechanics.   While, currently, they are focused on keeping exposure to the youth to a minimum to prevent Covid spread, and their arts programming is paused. P:ear has an incredibly strong art program for both visual, musical, and performative arts. P...

  Homelessness doesn't only exist when you hop in your car and drive to work, school, or to your friend's house. People experiencing homelessness aren't only need when they ask  you  for monetary or nutritional resources. Homelessness doesn't go away overnight when you no longer see or feel its affects in your local communities. Homelessness exists all the time.  As highlighted by this powerful collaborative effort between Youtube and GlobalGoals, those experiencing homelessness are often dismissed, or skipped. This campaign is delivered directly to the watcher's mobile device instead of their external environment - the one where they probably seldom interact with a houseless person. The collaboration creates an intimate call for action as the people in the series of ads tell watcher's not  to skip the ad, to not skip  them . Though the campaign places an emphasis on the homeless in California, the message is applicable to each and every city suffering this...

  The 'Housing First' policy was created in the 1990s with the goal of quickly housing people who were experiencing homelessness. This housing is provided affordably and meant to be safe and permanent. The idea is that there are no preconditions to the program, meaning they are quickly housed so they can then be on the path to stabilizing their lives. In the midst of recent discussion surrounding housing those who are experiencing homelessness, the effectiveness of this program came into question. Some of the concern around the topic was the lack of preconditions one must go through to receive housing through the program. The principles of this program define that housing must come first, and that applicants are not required to have an income, they may still be using alcohol or other substances, they cannot be evicted based upon failure to stay with a treatment plan, amongst other principles. This poses the question of whether the tenants can be relied upon to pay rent, stay cl...

The cost of homelessness in Portland Oregon was $38.8 million in 2017. That was for 4,177 individuals . Much of the spending goes to shelters with about $18.1 million currently going towards support housing and rapid rehousing, I.e. the current implementation of tony homes in Portland.     https://www.transformgov.org/articles/are-tiny-homes-potential-homelessness-solution The solution? Tiny homes. At an average cost of $6,000 each , we can already see potential savings for the city. That number includes utility costs too. A steady home for someone to call home offers other benefits as well. Studies show that a stable home provides many long-term benefits for children , those exiting the criminal justice system, and those with mental illnesses .  Some of the finer details include improved mental health, lower diabetes rates, ability to seek medical attention, lower rates of obesity, and improved mental in young women . All that from $6,000 invested....

  Hope. While it may not be a very common feeling in the current global pandemic, nonprofits centered around homeless support are doing their part to foster the feeling of hope. In the last week, Hope of the Valley, a nonprofit organization in the Los Angeles area, just opened two brand new tiny home villages in the city. In partnership with councilman Paul Krekorian, the organization was able to add 142 tiny homes and 285 beds. These homes and beds are located in two separate areas in the Los Angeles area, on Chandler Boulevard and in Alexandria Park respectively. These communities include onsite meals, hygiene facilities, case management, housing navigation, mental health services, job training and job placement! This is a wonderful project that has come to fruition, to provide hope to our houseless neighbors, and, they're looking for sponsors! In Bend, OR, Project Turnkey and the Oregon Community Foundation just received approval from city councilors to purchase the Old Mill Inn...

  Picture found on r/damnthatsinteresting                                              The houseless are people many of us feel compassion for, yet most of us are unwillingly to admit we often avoid eye contact as we pass them during a walk in the city. Sure, many of us have had the uncomfortable experience of being confronted for money or even harassed, but the Good Organisation (yes, that is the correct spelling) challenges you to "see things differently". Based in the York, England, they've had numerous campaigns dedicated to changing the way others view homeless people that has even reached the United States. One example of this campaign, were strategically placed signs (see picture) to make people aware of their habits (whether intentional or not) when passing by someone in need. The organization includes homeless people in their works, by giv...

(Photo Credit: Kim Hayes)       With the flurry of new policies from the Biden Administration came the extension of the foreclosure and eviction moratorium, now scheduled to end in late March. Although on the surface, this seems to be a relief, this is by no means a promise of secure housing and critics warn many will fall through the cracks.  The issue is postponed, not cured and the issue of back rent can only be put off so long. The distinction that must be kept in mind is that the moratorium prevents removal from property, not the process of eviction itself.   (You can read the 13 page CDC order  here .)  Issues arise in the ambiguity of the order's language, as pointed out by NBC's Leticia Miranda and Phil McCausland: " Renters must prove they have lost income to the pandemic, exhausted all government housing assistance, attempted to make partial payments and are likely to become homeless if evicted. But some judges have interpreted the ...