Vulnerable People and Places Blog

  Food insecurity is just one of the many stressors that contribute to the lives of individuals experiencing houselessness. Without a permanent residence the amount of work and planning it takes to find a meal is extremely difficult. Factors include; nowhere to safely store necessities (clothes, tent, etc) while procuring food, access to transportation to food banks and other resources, refrigeration, and ability to safely cook foods that need a heat source.  If you’re experiencing food insecurity, resources in the Portland area are available below: Multnomah County Food Guide PDX Free Fridge Portland Backpack If you’re able to help please consider volunteering to put food bags together for Portland Backpack or find out where you can donate food via PDX Free Fridge . Post by Aaron Bergeson

  My proposal for what next steps should be is using taxpayers dollars that the county/state  receives and instead of using them on whatever they are used on, we can use it to build a  dormitory or something to house the homeless. Buy out a lot and build. It solves the problem,  isn’t only a temporary solution and creates jobs in construction and such. Everything that is  being proposed are just temporary solutions and are not sustainable. I’m sure that if advertised,  there would be plenty of people willing to volunteer their time, and skills to help out.      I find this to be a better solution than lets say tiny homes and it can concentrate everyone in a  smaller area instead of trying to find multiple spots around town to build on. Not only that, but it  also becomes a permanent part of the city and will always be there to help people when times  get hard. We can be an example to the rest of the country and maybe they could...

Images from Pexels and Editing by Aliyah Akers             For those with uteruses and menstrual cycles, hygiene of that area is essential. But the fact of the matter is menstruation products cost on average $13.25/month, which comes to about $6,360 in a person's menstruation timeline (around 12-52). Though this amount may not seem like much to some, many houseless individuals can not produce the funds needed to get menstruation products every month. This is where the problem lies because, without proper menstruation hygiene, individuals are more prone to a plethora of things such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and the psychological damage that comes from the awkwardness of menstruation in the eye of the public.         Isn’t it silly that you have to pay for menstrual products, even though menstruation is something you can not control? Luckily there are efforts across the US trying to get free menstrual products for those w...

Most nights here in America, thousands of people are pushed into homlessness usually not due to their fault. The people being the first affected by homelessness are people with issues of  chronically homeless, mental health issues, or people who are just trying to escape a domestic abuse situation. There are hundreds of other reasons and circumstances that can be the cause as well but today I will be focusing on the mental health issue. Some of the most common disorders among people who are homeless are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse disorders. All these issues can leave people feeling very alone and make them believe that there is little to no hope for you. This can make them fall into bad habits that can lead to chronic homlessness. Homelessness in turn has been associated with declining mental health outcomes and may trigger or increase certain types of disorders. It makes one's heart hurt thinking of these people who are sadl...

 Shelters or Homes? (Image from  https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/04/portland-council-passes-rules-to-allow-more-homeless-shelters-housing-options.html )      As the Portland Metro Area continues to struggle with the rising rates of Homelessness, it begs the question of what we should be providing for these individuals. Many would say to let them keep popping up their tents left and right. Others would say we need to ship them out of the city. However, there could be a simpler and more organized option. What about instead of pushing these individuals into shelters that make them feel worthless, we should instead put them in small pre-built homes to help them push towards starting their life.          Now bring in the company of the Low Income Housing Institute. This mission was founded in 1991 and is centered in the Pacific Northwest. The program that they believe in is referred to as "Tiny House". There link can be fou...

      The Real Reason Why Houselessness Is Such a Big Problem (image taken from UT News )        When driving past the many tents that are lined up on the side of the highway, have you ever wondered how those tents got there? Have you ever wondered why so many tents are set up on the sidewalk instead of thinking of the people inside them? Most importantly, have you ever stopped to question your preconceptions of people experiencing houselessness?     Many people have grown up with a certain mindset about houseless people. This, of course, comes from a certain standpoint of privilege. If you grow up with the guaranteed promise of certain amenities, it could be hard to imagine a life without them. This way of thinking is prevalent in many social issues such as racism, ableism, etc. However, what this way of thinking lacks to affect is the persisting issue of houselessness as the houseless population continues to grow.      Howeve...

     It's not uncommon to see houseless individuals accompanied by a four-legged companion.  Oftentimes, if they have a sign asking for help, they’ll indicate a need for their pet. It’s heartbreaking  to see the houseless crises and seeing their pets adds another layer to the sadness. These pets  give them companionship, a sense of security, and unconditional love while experiencing a very  dehumanizing situation. It is no wonder then when given the choice between a shelter  (meaning potentially leaving their pet behind) and the street, most will choose the street.    The fact that many shelters do not allow pets is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.  This is oftentimes due to the lack of funding for the shelters. A bill passed in California last  month seeks to address this issue. As a result of the bill, SB-513, provides all new funding  for organizations to tap into in order to address the houseless issue....

  DECRIMINALIZATION ≠ LEGALIZATION Houselessness is heavily perpetuated by the stigma and criminalization surrounding the hard drugs that run rampant among houseless and impoverished communities. Oregon’s Measure 110, passed in November 2020, has been a major step in the right direction towards breaking the common cycle:  houselessness ➡ addiction from attempts to cope ➡ imprisonment ➡ return to streets ➡ return to addictive substances as coping mechanism. Opposing populations fear the measure will make drug use rampant, when its passing actually achieves the opposite. The selling and distribution of these substances is not suddenly made legal; the policy change simply makes it so that anyone found already in possession of hard drugs has the consequence reduced to a minor fine ($100 max.) and a health assessment that may place one in a rehabilitation center/program instead of giving them an instant arrest and criminal charge. Some very minor selling offenses, such as a...

The disability community experiences poverty at more than twice the rate of non-disabled individuals. In Oregon according to the 2016 Annual Disability Status Report about 27.1% of working adults are living in poverty. PWD individuals experience high medical bills, food insecurity, receive lower pay, and other factors that all contribute to homelessness. Considering these factors, it’s harder for PWD individuals to pay rent (Especially people of color and women) Now we ask how can we help these individuals?   Examples of rent/housing programs in Oregon that can help these individuals.   “We believe that everyone deserves the right to live well, be well, and Rent Well.” -      Rent Well Program   The Rent Well education program in Oregon gives low-income, no credit, past evictors, ETC individuals to receive a certificate that can be presented to landlords. The program lets these minorities successfully transition into becoming good tenants by ...

Image courtesy of J-Store Daily As of January 23rd, 2019 4015 people were counted as experiencing houselessness in the Portland metro area (1). 2037 of that 4015 were unsheltered. That’s 2037 of our neighbors without immediate access to shelter, clean water, electricity, heat, and many of the amenities that the rest of Portland has the privilege to access.  An article featured on J-Store Daily recently piqued my curiosity “What Leisure Means for People Who Are Homeless” (2). The article outlines the downtime, leisure, and pleasurable activities for those without a permanent residence. It also includes a sharp critique of those that consider people in this situation to be on ‘permanent vacation’ or making statements to the tune of “Don’t they have more pressing needs?” (2).  In January of 2015 Oregonlive did an in depth piece about homelessness in Oregon, with a specific focus on Portland. (3) One thing that stuck out to me is the constant work it takes to be homeless. Resource...

After doing some research, I found out that there isn’t as much support for the homeless as much as  one would think. In a survey by the Oregonian, 34% of people who said they were approached by a  caseworker, 75% of them never heard back. Not only are most homeless people not even approached  by someone to help them out, the ones that do usually never hear from them. Yet, Multnomah county  has approved roughly 14 million in the last two years for outreach workers.  It seems as if we as a society need to figure out how to spend this money and use it to help the people it is supposed to help. Tiny homes are a start but It is going to be a process and things do take time  but there’s got to be a way to do it faster. Sources: Oregonian false promises:    https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2022/01/false-promises-75-of-unsheltered-portlanders-contacted-by-a-housing-worker-never-heard-back.html Oregonian false promises data:    https://w...