Portland, Oregon Homelessness Crisis

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Homelessness is more common in Portland, particularly in the neighborhoods that have house service providers. The affordable housing problem has been increased by Portland real estate's limited supply and ongoing demand, further reducing the amount of housing available to needy individuals. Homelessness results from rising rents and property values in Portland, Oregon. Analysts for the state estimate that Oregon now needs about 140,000 housing units to accommodate the state's population. Statistics on homelessness show how complicated the problem is. The 2023 Year in Time Report indicates that thousands of individuals are homeless on our streets. Portland's overall homelessness rose from 1,887 to 6,297 people in 2023, a 65% increase. 


Furthermore, the leading causes of homelessness in Portland---

  • DRUGS AND ADDICTION :
Addiction is listed as the most common problem in the lives of homeless persons in 68% of American cities. It takes effective addiction rehabilitation programs that target the underlying causes of addiction to help hurting individuals move from homelessness to stable housing.
  • DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: 
Half of the women and children who are homeless nationwide are escaping domestic abuse. A woman experiences a crisis of safety when she is mistreated. She will suffer another beating if she remains in the house. She won't have many resources if she goes. Both options carry a great deal of danger. 
  • MENTAL ILLNESS
About 20–25% of those who are homeless have long-term mental health issues. For many men and women, simple things like caring for their health and beauty, managing a job, and making rent can seem impossible without help. 
  • JOB LOSS & UNDEREMPLOYMENT
Many Americans are underemployed these days, earning insufficient income to support them, or they are in dire straits following job cutbacks and layoffs due to the economy. When savings and unemployment benefits run out, people who never imagined it would happen to them become homeless. 
  • POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

Up to 200,000 military veterans sleep on the streets every night. People experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder may become emotionally distant or physically incapable of handling everyday obligations. Feeling ashamed, individuals might abandon their loved ones and residences as they give in to addiction. 

For More Information, Click The Links Below To understand the leading causes in different aspects-

Homelessness archives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://invisiblepeople.tv/category/learn-more/homelessness/

Griffith, Joel. "Why Portland's Homeless Problem Is the Worst in the Nation." The Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org/poverty-and-inequality/commentary/why-portlands-homeless-problem-the-worst-the-nation. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.

10 Causes of Homelessness - Portlandrescuemission.Org, portlandrescuemission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PRM-Infographic-10-Causes-of-Homelessness-150519.pdf. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.

Photo: 

"Portland's Struggle to Solve Its Homeless Crisis." The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Aug. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/opinion/letters/portland-homeless.html.

News, Fox. "Portland Health Officials Report Waste-Borne Illness Rampant among City's Homeless." Regional Media News, 5 Jan. 2024, www.regionalmedianews.com/news/national/portland-health-officials-report-waste-borne-illness-rampant-among-citys-homeless.

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