Vulnerable People and Places Blog

 Beyond the Stereotypes: Understanding the Real Causes of Homelessness in Portland                                                        Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press Homelessness in Portland is often talked about in very simple terms. Many people assume it is mainly caused by addiction or poor personal choices. While those factors can play a role, the reality is much more complicated. Homelessness is usually the result of several challenges happening at the same time, including rising housing costs, mental health struggles, and limited access to support services. One of the biggest contributors is the cost of housing. Over the past decade, rent in Portland has increased significantly, making it difficult for many working individuals and families to afford stable housing. Even people with steady jobs ...

Per their website, Rose Haven is a day shelter that aids women & children who are experiencing abuse, loss of their home or other major, disruptive life events. Rose Haven aims to be equitable and inclusive, providing meals, an  on-site wellness clinic , clothing, mailing addresses, hygiene services such as showers, laundry services and restrooms, as well as educational programs which focus on guiding participants through social and medical services in Portland. On Wednesdays, Rose Haven offers primary care with a focus on herbal and nutritional counseling, provided by student physicians supervised by a licensed provider from National University of Natural Medicine. Rose Haven's guest calendar  shows a full schedule through March, including resources such as meetings with Department of Health Services coordinations, family law clinics, acupuncture & natural medicine, as well as haircuts and social activities such as beading, yarn group, collage art & sewing. ...

  Music is one of the most universal languages in the world. Everyone in this world listen at least once a day hears a piece of music whether that is on their drive to work or school, while shopping, walking past a restaurant. Music is everywhere. It is the one thing that connects all.  Music serves as a way to express thoughts or feeling, also a way to relax. It makes you feel good, it cheers you up when you're down. The benefit of music is a lot for humans.  While music can be performed as a solo act, it is a so much funner when it's done as group. Social connections are built when working with other musician and great community is created.  AMP(Artist Mentorship Program) is a non-profit that supports Youth that are currently homeless. They provide a safe space and a community where they can connect musically. They believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to express theirselves. This is important because the it provides the chance and experience for these kid...

  In cities like Portland homelessness is often caused by the rising cost of housing, placing a financial barrier between a human and shelter. To make matters worse legal barriers exist that compound with financial barriers to increase the struggle of regaining stability. For individuals, living on the streets can lead to citations for camping violations, or loitering. With no way to pay, these citations eventually accumulate as legal debt, creating an unbreakable cycle that is nearly impossible to escape. This accumulation of legal debt not only widens the financial barrier but also affects someone's credit, employment opportunities and access to housing.  The Oregon Law Center is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that serves low income or houseless individuals and families. One of the organizations most impactful service is providing legal assistance to individuals facing fines that are caused directly or indirectly from living unhoused.  Through legal representat...

    In Portland, pets are often one of the only companions and forms of stability that people experiencing homelessness have. In Portland it is estimated that 5%-10% of people experiencing homelessness are pet owners with some specific areas reporting 20%-25% of houseless individuals owning pets.   Portland Animal Welfare Team or PAW Team began their work in the early 1990s as just a group of volunteer veterinarians before officially founding the nonprofit in 2003. The goal of this nonprofit organization is to provide free or low cost veterinarian care for pets and animals that belong to people experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness.  PAW Team offers their services through outreach and pop up veterinary clinics to make pet treatment more accessible. Their mobile outreach technique allows individuals to gain access to pet treatment by meeting the pet owners where they are, such as shelters, camps, and community resource centers, instead of making pet owner...

Finding Help in Portland: Resources for People Experiencing Homelessness Portland is a city known for creativity, compassion, and community, but it is also a city grappling with a housing crisis that affects thousands of people every night. If you or someone you care about is experiencing homelessness, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. The good news is Portland has many organizations, shelters, and outreach programs working every day to offer safety, dignity, and practical support to those in need. Emergency and Ongoing Shelters Portland Rescue Mission – Burnside Shelter One of Portland’s longest-running shelters, offering meals, overnight shelter, clothing, hygiene items, and recovery-focused support programs. Rose Haven A welcoming daytime community space serving women, children, and gender-diverse individuals. Rose Haven emphasizes safety, respect, and trauma-informed care. Right 2 Dream Too A community-run safe rest site providing a place to sleep, store belongings, a...

  While homelessness is largely a systemic issue, some small business owners have taken the problem into their own hands by directly training and employing those in their communities experiencing homelessness.   Inn From The Cold , a Newmarket shelter program, has been working to change perceptions of homelessness by helping residents gain employment and workplace skills. Programs like this challenge the common stereotype that people experiencing homelessness are unwilling to work. Instead, they highlight the many barriers people face when trying to enter or re-enter the workforce without stable housing. Similar efforts exist elsewhere. In Medford, Oregon,  Hope Kitchen  provides culinary training and job opportunities for people experiencing homelessness who are seeking a fresh start. Through hands-on experience in food service, participants gain both practical skills and the confidence that comes with meaningful work. Food-based programs appear in other communities...

Since 1986, Portland based nonprofit ‘Outside In’ has aimed to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive place for underserved and people experiencing homelessness, with the intention of achieving independence.  ‘Outside In’ offers a range of services geared towards these goals. This includes, health services, including HIV/STI testing, reproductive healthcare, behavioral health treatment, and specialty population healthcare, as well as an on-site pharmacy! It also offers a day program, providing services like meals, showers, and access to laundry machines and mail, all while providing the ability to learn about sustainable housing options. ‘Outside In’ provides substance treatment programs for rehabilitation and recovery, with the goal of providing a place free of judgment and plentiful in resources and perspectives of people who have lived through similar trials. It also offers drug overdose training via naloxone which is distributed in house. ‘Outside In’ is looking for you to g...

Portland is known as a very green city, with neighborhoods full of large trees, small parks, and streets that are covered with giant trees. This makes walking around the city enjoyable. Some neighborhoods don't have as much amount of tree coverage and is causing the areas to be hotter during the summer, especially in East Portland.  The term tree canopy is used to describe layers of leaves and branches that cover an area from above. The covers are used to cool the city and reducing the temperatures from the sun, this process is called evapotranspiration. Meaning that areas with less trees tend to be much hotter than areas with tree coverage that tend to be cooler.  In Portland, the dispersement of trees is not balanced throughout the city. East Portland and low income communities tend to have the lowest tree coverage. This often means that these areas have fewer parks and green space that people can hang out around, this causing the parks and areas to be hotter temperatures du...

Not everyone in the city has the same access to healthy groceries, even though Portland is known for its farmers markets and local food scene. Residents in East Portland are traveling miles to local a full grocery store. The issue at hand is described as a food desert, it affects many neighborhoods throughout the United States.  A food desert is a neighborhood that has limited access to affordable food, most importantly fresh fruits and vegetables. The areas that lack full grocery stores are having to rely on fast food restaurant's and small convenience store to feed the community. For the residents of these neighborhoods, groceries are not the easiest to obtain, especially without a vehicle or public transportation.   East Portland stands out as one of the visible areas for this in the city. While other parts of Portland have larger grocery stores and accessibility to different grocery stores, there are the areas in East Portland where it may take a resident an hour bus ...