Vulnerable People and Places Blog

Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access Healthcare is a fundamental human right, yet for many Portland residents, especially those experiencing homelessness, accessing medical services is anything but easy. The barriers to healthcare in Portland are extensive, ranging from financial instability to systemic inequities that prevent many from receiving the care they desperately need. By understanding these challenges and advocating for change, we can work toward a more inclusive healthcare system that serves everyone.  The Challenges of Healthcare Access for Vulnerable Populations For individuals experiencing homelessness or living in poverty, navigating the healthcare system can be overwhelming. Lack of insurance, transportation difficulties, and the daily struggle for survival make prioritizing health nearly impossible. According to a report by the Oregon Health Authority, nearly 40% of individuals experiencing homelessness have unmet medical needs, often due to cost or lack of acces...

  Image courtesy of Invisiblepeople.tv   In my previous article I tackled the topic of Universal Basic Income as a form of aid for the homeless population and found numerous benefits associated with implementing this strategy. While it would provide much needed relief for those experiencing homelessness, treating it as the sole solution would leave the burden of acquiring housing solely on homeless individuals. This would be especially difficult for those experiencing chronic homelessness due to the fact that this demographic contains some of the most stigmatized and vulnerable individuals (Council For the Homeless, 2019).  Typically, those experiencing chronic homelessness struggle with mental health issues and/or substance use disorders — characteristics that commonly disqualify individuals from participating in UBI studies. The exclusion of substance users stems from concern over the participants not using their income for basic necessities or for the potential to neg...

 Image from GlobalGiving.org      In the United States, employment is crucial to survival. From day to night, a huge portion of the population’s routine orbits around having a job. Some people even have multiple jobs, putting many tens of hours of work into every week. It’s so important to our daily lives that many people start working in their high school years, to work on saving up for larger events and necessities later on in life. Everyone you’ve ever seen behind the counter at a store or fast food place relies on the income and benefits that their job provides. Being employed, in the eyes of many working-class citizens, means staying afloat. But sometimes the safety net employment provides simply isn’t enough to hold the rapidly growing weight of poverty and the constantly-changing economy.      A study conducted in 2021 by the University of Chicago states that over 90% of homeless people, sheltered or not, were already employed with part-time or ...

When times are hard, many return home as adults to have a safe place to plan for a fresh start. Others may remain home a few years into adulthood in order to be prepared for starting out on their own. But when many foster children age out of care, these safety nets are not there for them. For those who do not reunify, connect with other family members, or get adopted, emancipation is the end goal of their foster experience. Ready or not, they are independent adults.  In Oregon, data for 2021 shows that 60% of 16 to 21-year-olds who left foster care were emancipated (1). The Oregon Department of Health and Human Services has published a page with resources for those transitioning out of foster care (2). In 2022, they published a follow-up with 21-year-olds who formerly were in foster care. Of those who continued to respond at the 3 year mark, 24% of the respondents had experienced homelessness in the last 2 years, and only 9% were employed full or part-time (3). These are grim numb...

Image courtesy of BusinessInsider.com Following the distribution of stimulus checks and increased unemployment benefits from the Covid-19 lockdown era of 2020 - 2021, discussions around universal basic income was ignited in the mainstream consciousness at the time. While this discussion has since faded into the background, there continues to be firm supporters of UBI — along with firm detractors. Supporters of UBI argue that receiving a steady income flow from the government would relieve the pressures associated with long term poverty for a substantial number of americans. Detractors however, argue that UBI is an impossible to implement pipe-dream that would only lead to an economic downturn and worker shortages if it were to ever come into fruition. While the average person may feel inclined to think about how UBI would affect them personally, discussions on the implication for the homeless population appears to be scarce. In an attempt to facilitate this discussion, I w...

  Suppose you've been in downtown Portland anytime in the last few weeks. In that case, you might have encountered one of many highlighter-colored posters plastered around the city that note a coming storm of homeless encampment sweeps. You may notice a distinct lack of tents off the sides of the roads soon after, or people wandering down the streets holding everything they own in their arms as they try to figure out where they're supposed to go next. Encampment sweeps are by nature dehumanizing. Even the people who are for homeless encampment sweeps don't often cite reasons that pertain to the people whose belongings are being taken away. Instead, they talk about the appearance of the streets and the obstruction of public spaces. For the people who have to constantly worry about what may very well be their only chance at some semblance of a home being destroyed, these sweeps take a toll on what is already a very hard life for them. But what specifically happens to people w...

In recent years it's been increasingly difficult for low-income families to keep up with the rising cost of rent and to find affordable housing options. In fact, in the state of Oregon t he number of affordable rental homes is only 26 for every 100 extremely low-income renters. That simply means there isn't enough housing being created to keep up with the demands and needs of our most vulnerable. In 2023, there were over 800 families on housing waitlists in Multnomah County alone. The high cost burden of rent and inflation, as well as the lack of affordable housing are some of the economic factors that have led to an increase in the number of people experiencing houselessness in the state in recent years. In fact, people experiencing houselessness under the age of 18 increased from 2023 to 2024 by a disheartening 32%.  This trend points towards an issue that is clearly worsening. That statistic not only includes the children of struggling families but also unaccompanied minor...

     The Concerns of Mass Deportation With the re-election of the current president we are facing a dangerous reality. The Trump administration has declared for a mass deportation that will continue to target many immigrants that have already been integrated into our society. This will not only harm innocent families, but also highly affect our economic status due to labor shortages, loss of tax revenue and not to mention other contributing factors such as less small businesses, and a major decrease in consumer spending.  Since the inauguration, we’ve seen an increase of ICE raids in neighborhoods, work places, hospitals and even schools. It is important to understand what the damages of these actions will create. These deportations will make crucial impacts to an individual's life. This will separate families, and create trauma for families and loved ones. Most of these undocumented immigrants at risk, are people who have already been living in the United States for...

San Francisco’s “Journey Home” program has been facilitating the relocation of homeless individuals by providing them with transportation to cities where they have family or support networks. The program, which has been running for years, has seen an expansion under Mayor London Breed. While some Portlanders have expressed concern about an influx of unhoused individuals, data suggests that the actual number of people being sent to Oregon is relatively low. According to recent reports, in the past year, only nine individuals relocated to Oregon through the program out of the 92 total who opted for relocation. The goal of “Journey Home” is to ensure that those receiving assistance have a reliable support system at their destination, although there have been instances where participants overestimated their prospects. Similar relocation initiatives exist in major cities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale. These programs aim to reduce local shelte...

  Homelessness Disproportionately Affects the LGBTQ+ Community  Portland is considered a city that is a bastion of human rights. LGBTQ+ people have long considered Portland to be a “safe” city where they can go about their lives free from the discriminatory policies in other, less friendly states. While this is true, the homeless population in Oregon, as it is with most places, continues to have an overrepresentation of LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ people face increased risk of discrimination in many aspects of their lives, and homelessness is unfortunately no exception. Data collected by The Williams Institute at UCLA in 2020 showed that nearly 17% of LGBTQ+ adults had experienced homelessness at some point in their life. That figure is more than twice the rate amongst the general, non-LGBTQ+ population. Transgender people in particular are at a much greater risk than other marginalized groups. More than 8% of trans people had experienced houselessness. That figure is significantly ...

Portland, changed in the blink of an eye, What Happened?       Portland, Oregon is in a deep declining state, and it continues to get worse and worse. What once was a magnificent city that was a haven to many from other states, Portland was offered as a metaphorical gold rush to people of California looking for a way out of the busy LA lifestyle in search for a less crowded city. Though as time progresses, Portland seems to be transforming drastically as it becomes harder and harder to find a place to afford that is also safe to those renting there. Portland no longer seems to be that haven that people come from out of state to visit or move to anymore. Downtown used to be a grand expanse of shops and restaurants that sparkled in a magnificent charm of character that was known for its trendy nature. Portland no longer shines with that charm anymore, the restaurants and stores that brought people from all around now have boarded up windows, and the population is decli...