The Toll Homeless Encampment Sweeps Take

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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 who have to suffer through these sweeps?

Mental

The mere potential of your home being raided alongside the feeling of instability can easily instill anxieties in a person, leading to more intense mental health issues. There have also been cases where more aggressive sweeps can create a form of PTSD, making it even less likely for them to seek out aid from outreach groups. Then there's the matter of potentially losing things in the sweep. While the city will sometimes promise to store items found during homeless encampment sweeps, oftentimes these promises are hollow and items are either trashed or handed off to police if they have even the slightest suspicion that the items in question were stolen. Family heirlooms, important mementos, or even petty cash can be taken and never returned to their rightful owners, fostering mistrust.

Physical

If someone whose encampment was being disbanded were to refuse to relocate, there is always the potential for it to escalate into violence. Some cities even encourage police to arrest those who refuse to relocate or even those who just refuse shelter. While Portland currently isn’t that aggressive, there are still instances of police brutality in the case of more aggressive sweeps, leading to anything from bruises to broken bones that the recipients can’t even get looked at by a medical professional in most cases.

Social

As you may be able to guess, the mental strain of having to rebuild what is basically your home after a sweep can take a toll on your social life. Living in a tent on the street or under a bridge already lends itself to a life of instability and isolation. The constant fear of leaving your home only to come back to it completely gone would dissuade many from ever going outside, further isolating these people in a world that already shuns them.


These problems, each alone are difficult to handle but all together create feelings of isolation, mistrust, and instability for the people experiencing these sweeps, making them less likely to want to accept help from anything city-fronted. Portland needs a plan for our homeless population that focuses on compassion and meeting people where they're at. A plan that treats them like people instead of problems.

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