Vulnerable People and Places Blog

  Photo by Jonathan Kho Ming Jun on Unsplash This isn't a problem subject to one place. This is a problem that grows in areas unknown. They hide in caves. The hide in forests. They hide in areas they know no one will go.  While yes, they're safer here, And no, we don't have many here- They're still here. They come out in the daylight and stand on the corner. They ask politely, "may I have a quarter?" No. No.  Yes. Here's a dollar. No. Get a job. They make so little,  It's their innocence that's robbed. Nobody listens. Not to us, at least. We're too far from the source. "They're better off there–I'm sure they can work." Maybe this is why everyone goes. Maybe they're tired of feeling alone. Maybe. We shouldn't leave them alone.

  When people think about homelessness in Oregon, many tend to associate the word with Portland. While it is true that Portland is one of the most prominent homeless hotspots in the state, let us not forget those who live in rural areas. Homelessness is an issue in many parts of the state, and we must also recognize small regions. According to  Housing and homelessness are issues in rural Oregon, too   by Eric Mortenson for The Other Oregon, housing is difficult to come by due to wealthier out-of-state individuals who create a competitive housing market with their high bid victories. Many locals looking to start a family can not afford it because of the lack of housing or the high prices. To make matters worse, the minimum wage in rural areas is too low to live sustainably. For instance, the minimum wage in non-urban areas like Douglas, Klamath, Malheur, and others is $12.50. These people can not rely on community resources because there are not enough to pass around; Mor...

          Have you ever been wandering through the grocery store and wondered "what do they do with all the leftover food in the display cases?" Sadly, the truth in most cases is that the food gets discarded and, in some cases doused with chemicals to prevent those who are in need from digging through dumpsters in hopes to put food in their bellies.  The people at Urban Gleaners are here to give a helping hand and prevent waste. In 2017, the organization of the Urban Gleaners came to be by a group of locals in Portland, Oregon who found grocers, restaurants, corporate campuses, event sites, colleges, farms, and food wholesalers who are willing to donate their "leftovers" to those in need.  At their website (link below), you can find the distribution schedules that details where they will be in the city and at what times. Urban Gleaners do not discriminate against anyone in need of food and do not require proof of anything. https://urbangleaners.or...

  LGBTQ persons facing homelessness additionally face further hardships when seeking resources. LGBTQ youth often face discriminated and targeting when compared to heteronormative individuals. Further transgender persons are often targets of abuse and are often turned away by shelters. A study conducted by UCLA Williams Institute found that 40% of homeless youth assisted by agencies identify as “LGBTQ”. Without adequate support, LGBTQ persons facing homelessness are more likely to remain unhoused. Unhoused LGBTQ youth consistently cite discrimination from families or school as the primary factor contributing to being unhoused. Advocating for LGBTQ persons is the first step in taking action against queer youth homelessness. Creating safer environments at school allowsLGBTQ  persons to continue education, making chronic homelessness less likely. Additionally schools and institutions must make the effort to look for youths facing discrimination at home or experiencing hidden home...

Shelter and safe housing should be human rights however it continues as a global problem, leaving an estimated 1.6 billion people (2020, UN-Habitat) under inadequate housing conditions and 15 million facing forced evictions. Homelessness could happen to anyone, but the reasons for losing housing and experience living differ for each person. Generally in the United States the un housed populated exists in 4 groups. 1 Transitional Homelessness Transitional homelessness is usually due to sudden life changes or events such as a fire or flood. Those who face this type of homelessness often still have jobs but are unable to afford other housing and living costs.  This type of homelessness is often faced by younger populations, who may be more vulnerable under this condition. Additionally those in the LGBTQ community face further challenges as they are vulnerable to discrimination. One of the most common factors contributing to LGBTQ homeless is family harassment and discrimination based ...

  Homelessness Living By Conner Houlette      One piece in particular stood out to me: "Some of Portland's homeless settlements have trouble filling up completely. This is why." It discussed how there are so many homeless people living on the streets and not relocating into the numerous villages that the state laboriously constructed throughout Portland. This isn't happening mostly because there aren't enough beds or locations for people to sleep. Families and pets are welcome in the villages, but the only restriction is the prohibition of narcotics, which is the reason why the homeless prefer to set up shop on the streets rather than share a bed and other resources with you.         In the story, it was said "After reaching out to ten organized homeless communities, our team discovered that unfilled beds in these kinds of emergency shelters are prevalent, and there aren't any clear-cut explanations for why. Villagers at particular locations ...

  The Realities of Homelessness By Conner Houlette      The lack of knowledge that Americans receive across and the scarcity of cheap housing in the country, in my opinion, are the main issues with how homelessness begins. I believe that there should be means to guarantee that everyone in the nation may obtain the fundamental education they require in order to restart their lives and begin working immediately in a lower-paying position. This affects me personally since there are so many homeless individuals living in downtown Portland, Oregon, and the situation is getting worse as more jobs are lost and the years pass.         With all the tents and homeless individuals wandering around, it is also visible to students at Portland State University. The quantity of unattended needles that are left on the ground is another factor that makes this a major concern to me. People in the Portland neighborhood shouldn't have to worry about tripping on ...

  While summer is still in full swing, the promise of the fall and winter are not far behind, and with them bring different challenges for the homeless population. Extreme heat may be one of the deadliest of the severe weather types, but the colder temps  and wetter climate of autumn and winter can be just as deadly.  Each year, 700 people experiencing homelessness die from hypothermia. Symptoms to watch out for include: memory loss, slurred speech, drowsiness, shivering, and potentially frostbite. It is imperative for anyone experiencing these symptoms and/or a body temperature below 95°F to seek immediate medical attention.  During times of severe cold weather, there are seasonal shelters open to provide aid, here’s a list of those available in multnomah county (2021-2022): Walnut Park Shelter, 5329 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd.; 80 beds, operated by Transition Projects  Downtown Winter Shelter (former Greyhound Station), 550 N.W. 6th Ave.; 96 beds, operated b...

  The side effects of the Covid shutdown on the mental health of our citizens remain even after the end of the lockdown. New research by the university of Boston concluded that 1 of every 3 Americans is suffering from depression and anxiety. This is a scary number when comparing it to 8.5% in 2019 or 1 in every 10 Americans. Nevertheless, Oregon youth are the group of people that suffered the consequences. Currently, more than 350,000 of our young community members are dealing with depression and anxiety. Our lawmakers need to appropriate more money to provide mental health resources to those individuals. These are the new generation of Oregonians and we owe it to them to help them to have a brighter future. Written By: Elias Karam     Sources:   1-      OR COVID-19 latest: New data shows pandemic's impact on Oregon youths' mental health (koin.com)   2-      Depression Rates in US Tripled When the Pandemic Fi...

  Our beautiful city currently has 6633 homeless people living on the street. It is unfortunate that some of our community members don’t have a place where they feel warm, safe, and loved inside its walls. The lack of affordable housing, mental health resources, and high-paying jobs are some of the main reasons behind this problem. Many of those people face a lot of abuse and violence on the street and have to be protected. For a progressive state, our government needs to take action by providing free health care services that include mental health resources. Moreover, the city of Portland needs to maximize its effort to provide shelters for these people as Winter is coming and help those people to live off the streets. As a community, we all need to chip in and find a way to help some of the community members secure a better life and a brighter future. Written By: Elias Karam     Sources: 1-      Portland homeless count shows rise in those living on t...

  There is an unfortunate public perception of homelessness and homeless people that categorizes a diverse group of people as lazy and unwilling to contribute to society through traditional employment. Some see the hiring advertisements plastered around the community or on the internet and think “Well, see all the places hiring? Why don’t the homeless just get a job?”. This point of view is ignorant, as there is a multitude of reasons why it is not so simple for those experiencing homelessness to manifest employment. Anyone who has ever had to apply for a job knows that there is a plethora of information you have to provide about yourself, including your home/mailing address. Homeless people do not have a mailing address and by not filling in that section (some online employment forms will not even let you submit your application without filling in the section), it is a signal to whoever is hiring that the applicant is potentially homeless. This opens up the possibility of employme...

Vehicles parked in Delta Park. (Sam Gehrke)   Vehicle residency, where to safely park overnight      On the streets of Portland Oregon, it's not uncommon to find tents pitched up along the sidewalks, or on the sides of freeway ramps. However, another fairly common sight is an RV or other type of vehicle that someone has taken up residency in. After all, a metal box provides far more protection than a cloth tent. The only problem is, taking up residency in a car or RV is considered illegal. As of July 2021, nearly 4000 complaints were filed with the city over abandoned or illegally parked cars and RV’s. However there are plans in the works to redevelop part of the parking lot at the Portland Expo Center into a safe parking area for people living in their cars and RV’s. Vancouver Safe Parking Zone As of right now, there are areas that are dedicated to safe parking. Just outside the city limits in the city of Beaverton for example, Just Compassion WC has set up the s...

  Having somewhere safe to stay can go a long way for people when transitioning from houselessness. It can be difficult to get things in order if there isn’t some place to  stay. Being able to keep track of hygiene, having shelter from the elements and  consistent meals can do a lot for people. Which is why housing first is a policy of  All Good Northwest , an organization that runs the Safe Rest villages in Portland.   Picture From Program Website                     Safe Rest villages are places where houseless people can get shelter with basic  amenities, as well as various other services, such as physical and mental health. They are also in strategic areas, close to social services, transportation, etcetera. All Good  Northwest has opened three different Safe Rest villages; a LGBTQ+ village, a BIPOC  village, and one in Multnomah.  Feeling safe is an incredibly important part of becoming ...

  Shelter should be a Human Right in America      In Portland, you’re likely to encounter someone who is houseless; some by choice, many by circumstance. What many people seem to perceive as a nuisance, the placement (or displacement) of unhoused individuals has become a popular topic especially on the West Coast of the United States. Thousands of people live in tents, under bridges, and in forested areas. Other people of the population, mainly those with homes, detest the houseless and see mess and instability rather than a human in distress. Property values have exceeded - or perhaps have always exceeded - the value of the human. The pervasive issue of homelessness is hardly addressed by the government or politicians and local officials usually do more harm than help to the houseless community. So how can such an issue be fixed?           Firstly, this post will explain how the United States can systematically fix the houseless pro...

        ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION IN PORTLAND Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB Homelessness is never often a choice on chooses to experience. Often times, those who struggle with homelessness are struggling with mental health, drug addiction, abuse, etc. However, within Portland, OR, there is an ongoing drug crisis. In July 2022, the Central City Concern Clean Start Crews   ran an assessment of homeless camps in southeast Portland and detected around 1,900 campsites , with over 272 posing a greater health and safety risk. Among this, Oregon has the highest rate of meth usage in the entire nation, which easily affects a decent percentage of the homeless population. With overcrowding of psychiatric facilities, shelters, and Oregon hospitals, it has becoming increasingly difficult to battle the mental health and drug crisis. In fact, just between 2016 and 2020, meth usage in Oregon rose an astounding 75%. In addition, through a 202...

Proper hygiene is a basic human need, a necessity for survival, and without it, a person is at risk of developing various infections and communicable diseases, potentially exposing other people to such illnesses as well. For those who are unsheltered, finding clean, safe facilities that offer showers and restrooms is a daily struggle. Lack of Hygiene is an Obstacle A survey of 550 unhoused individuals in Portland, conducted between 2014 and 2016, revealed that 40% of respondents have dealt with medical problems due to a lack of hygiene services, whereas 20% have been turned away from shelters and 22% of respondents have been denied meals, food, or services because of their level of personal hygiene (Hawash et al., 2016, as cited in Greene et al., 2022). The consequences of not having reliable shower and restroom access go beyond the medical—hygiene affects appearance which can, unfortunately, affect the way one gets treated in a service setting. A single, free shower, therefore, could ...

 Cameron Parker  Multimedia  Portland's Homeless Villages               One article that really stuck out to me was "Some of Portland's homeless villages struggle to reach full capacity. Here's why." It talked about how there are so many homeless people on the street and not moving into the multiple villages across the city of Portland that the state worked so tirelessly on. The main reason for this isn't because theres not enough beds or places for individuals to sleep at. The villages let you bring your families and pets in, but the one rule that isn't allowed is no drugs and that's the deciding factor on why the homeless would rather set up shop on the streets versus sleeping with a bed and other resources for you.       The article stated that "After reaching out to 10 organized homeless villages, KGW found it's not uncommon for these types of emergency shelters to have empty beds, and the reason for this isn...

  Cameron Parker   Homelessness Blog   I would say that the main problem with how homelessness starts is the lack of education that Americans get around the country as well as the lack of affordable housing that there is, in the United States. I think that there should be ways to ensure that everybody around the country is able to get the basic educat ion that they need in order to get their life on track as well as getting started with a lower income job right away. This is personal to me because living in Portland, Oregon there are so many homeless people filled all around downtown, and it’s starting to get even worse as the years go by and more jobs lost.   Also attending Portland State University you can see it first hand with all the tents and homeless people walking around. Another reason why this is a big deal to me is because of the amount of needles that are left on the ground unattended to as well. When going on a run or walking to get some food or a dr...