Vulnerable People and Places Blog

     Deinstitutionalization, Mental Illness, and Homelessness by Matthew Little The homeless issue in America is prevalent in every major and minor city in the country. As of 2020, 0.2% of citizens in America are living on the street without shelter. 0.2% may not seem like a large amount, but when the total is condensed and localized to cities, 6.6 million people becomes a much bigger statistic. The public view of the homeless population is largely negative; common beliefs are that the homeless are actively neglecting to find work, or will use any money given to them for alcohol or other substances. But something many people aren't aware of are the amount of homeless people who suffer from mental illnesses and have nowhere to go for treatment. In a 2019 study, about 38.5% of homeless people in Portland alone suffer from an untreated mental illness. That amount is so large because of our country's deinstitutionalization. Deinstitutionalization is the process of replacing p...

    Photo provided by: Office of early Childhood development Homelessness is often looked and thought as adults, it could be that we don’t want to think that children are homeless. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 51% of children who experience homelessness are under the age of six. A staggering 2.5 million children homeless each year in the US, one in every 30 children. SAMHSA also addresses that while progress has been made in recent years in reducing chronic homelessness among veterans and other single adults, Dr. Bassuk said the opposite is true for families. Because the Department of housing and Urban Development (HUD) does not count doubled-up families or families that are jumping home to home on friends and family’s couches, the policymakers tend to underestimate the number of families experiencing homelessness. Usually when a mother/father seeks help the programs designed for families that are experiencing homelessness t...

  Where Does it All Go? The Sad Reality of Food Scraps Written by: Dylan Blane A pile of Food Waste. Photo courtesy of Oregon Metro.     In 2021, a Portland Fred Meyer lost power and due to health department requirements, the store was forced to throw all their perishable goods out. The perishables ended up in a nearby dumpster and photos of the dumpster started circulating on social media. Fred Meyer came out about how there was a risk that those who consumed this food would be at the risk of food borne illnesses. This is not a one-off incident; edible food goes to waste every day at almost every store front. Health department requirements and store policies lead to a massive amount of wasted food. What is our state doing to decrease this amount of wasted "garbage"?          The Oregon Metro (2021) writes that Metro and local communities have been working to reduce food waste, keep food scraps out of landfills, and put them to better use for more...

The Climate Crisis and Homelessness Climate change is a threat to everyone’s health, and its impact is only increasing. Climate change is also the cause for many health issues in impoverished communities. This is clearly seen in lower income communities and homeless populations. They are exposed to indirect effects of climate change causing contact with disease and pollutants. People who do not have shelter are the most exposed to storms, increased temperature, and other extreme weather conditions. Homeless people do not always have access to things that are affected by climate change. Things like clean drinking water and dry clothes can be difficult for homeless people to access. Extreme weather can be deadly for anyone, but especially people without shelter in need of cool water and a cool space. Extreme temperatures also lower the air quality which increases the smog. This can lead to shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, and temporary decreases in lung function. Climate change...

  There are many reasons one might find themselves without a place to call home. Often times people have the misconception that alcohol and drug abuse are the root causes of homelessness. This generally is not the case. people find themselves living without a home due to a multitude of factors. The leading cause of homelessness is due to economic reasons. Reasons such as lack of affordable housing or lack of employment opportunities.  Economics aside, there are often times even deeper roots that cause homelessness. Many homeless people have some kind of trauma, mental illness, or family conflict. For example, 84% of homeless women have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lives and as a result, domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness in women. These traumatic experiences cause people to have to leave their current situation and find a new life somewhere else. Unfortunately, it is very hard in this world to find refuge when you don't...

Kenton's women village is a rare success story for transitional pod community housing here in Portland OR. An uplifting tale that took many people, a lot of energy, and a lot of time to complete.  The village took the effort and partnerships with the local government, nonprofit, and educational institutions;   City of Portland , the Joint Office of Homeless Services , the Village Coalition , Prosper Portland , Almar Contracting , Portland State University School of Architecture’s Center for Public Interest Design , Kenton Neighborhood Association , Catlin Gabel InvenTeam , and dozens of other community businesses, organizations, and individuals. This village has 20 sleeping pods all no bigger than 8’x12’ and were designed and built in late 2016 through the Partners on Dwelling Initiative (POD). This brought together a group of architects, housing advocates, and housing individuals. The pandemic limited the village to only allow 15 women in the village at a time.  To make ...