Vulnerable People and Places Blog

 It's 2024, and not only is the Portland Oregon area experiencing one of the worst winters in recorded history, it's also U.S. primary election season. Without delving too deeply into the political side of Portland Oregon, it's important to note the climates (both literally and figuratively) because I've learned over the years that the resources and services available for some of our most vulnerable populations largely depends on who is in office. I don't mean who our president is, I'm talking about all levels of government because almost anyone who can pick up a mobile device can easily recognize that any Nations "Commander in Chief" is really just a political puppet, sure they're the head puppet but they're a pawn in a rigged game of who has the power. For this reason, I am thankful the United States at least has term limits for the President because it's evident that with enough money and resources, you won't be impeached, or convic...

     Homelessness puts women in adverse situations where they lack safety. When a woman is pregnant and facing homelessness, she experiences even further risks and challenges. In Oregon, there are options and services available to women for pre/post-natal care, but there still isn't enough. Further, for the services that are available, the issue of providing continued, stable support throughout one's pregnancy remains perhaps one of the greatest barriers. If you or I were facing homelessness and were worried about our basic necessities like finding a place to sleep, and accessing food and water, I don't think that transportation to and from set appointments would be at the top of our priority list. It is virtually impossible to ask such a task of an expecting mother facing homelessness when it means abandoning her needs and adding on an entirely new point of stress.      In Oregon, organizations like Oregon MothersCare help mothers access low-cost and free ...

For many, the response of Portland, Oregon’s Mayor Ted Wheeler, to the ever-growing houseless issue in Portland is too little too late. After being elected mayor in 2016 and reelected in 2020, it has taken more than a third of his time in office to propose a solution to provide affordable housing and authorized houseless camps in the city, according to  OPB . The belated response comes after years of criticism, public embarrassment, and harassment. Hank Sanders from the local news organization  Willamette Week   interviewed Wheeler about the details of these volatile encounters from angry constituents after receiving a public lashing for his lackluster actions in these crises.  Image Source: KGW8 Please take the time after reading to fill out this short survey! Thank you. https://forms.gle/MrsHML16woC5pkBW6 In defense of Wheeler, the houseless problem has been an issue worldwide before Wheeler’s time in office and has grown exponentially since the COVID-19 crisis. Ma...

  Pallet, a Washington social purpose company has revolutionized the homeless shelter, and stands as the most impactful organization to lift people off the streets. The new 64 square foot shelters can be built in as little as one hour, about 40 shelters in one week, and cost only $5,495 each. These cutting edge pallet shelters last over 10 years, contain a fire extinguisher, CO monitor, smoke detector, a secure ventilation system, locks, windows, lights, a structural floor capable of being placed on any surface, air conditioning, heating, electricity, and two beds. Additionally, these shelters can withstand winds of up to 110 mph, 25 lb. per square feet of snow, and they are easily cleaned and disassembled. Pallet has now built shelter communities across the US, including 11 active sites in Oregon. You can see these shelters in Old Town off NW Hoyt St, N Mississippi Ave near Fremont Bridge, and towards Hawthorne next to SE Stephens St. CEO and Founder, Amy King, realized that ...

  Image courtesy of Pinterest.com How are we able to motivate the majority of a community to end homelessness? One reason that may be overlooked is the cost of spending for an individual to attend the emergency room. According to Greendoors.org ,  "People struggling with homelessness are often frequent users of emergency departments. On average, they visit the emergency room five times per year. The highest users of emergency departments visit weekly. Each visit costs $3,700; that's $18,500 spent per year for the average person and $44,400 spent per year for the highest users of emergency departments." According to Dr. Margot Kushel at the University of California, San Francisco,  "Homeless people have higher rates of chronic health problems than the general population. This takes the form of higher rates of illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and HIV disease"   When thinking about these costs that the healthcare sy...

          Housing has long been a pressing issue before the pandemic and wildfires. It has increasingly become a larger problem with worsening income disparity. According to new data in 2019, Oregon's rate of houseless residents has increased by 3.5 the national average.   On Monday March 8, Oregon state lawmakers were weighing the options of creating more shelters, a grace period for rent to be extended, making home-ownership more accessible, and reducing housing inequalities faced by communities of color.  The lawmakers have presented 17 bills , including " $535 million in new state investments for increasing affordable housing, addressing homelessness, and supporting home-ownership. " They also stated that the federal government expects federal support.    One of the proposed bills is on emergency shelter expedited siting that will accelerate the process of building shelters. It is proposed that $45 million is needed to build s...

          Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan has announced recently that the local government is looking into a program that would allow for those experiencing houselessness that live in cars to safely park. This so-called “Safe-Park Program” would occur in the form of a large parking lot where people could park their cars. These lots would include communal spaces for food and bathing as well as access to social workers and mental health counselors on site.       In an interview for “Think Out Loud” on OPB, Ryan stated, “ I know out in my neighborhood in North Portland, you’re seeing so many people parked alongside the road... We could organize those cars and those RVs into a big parking lot that had hygiene, safety, that had food services, and that had also mental health services,” Ryan says that the program would take shape in the form of a two-step process; first, the parking lot program, and second, a communal discussion for alterna...

          Houselessness is not easily attributed to a particular cause or condition. The language surrounding "homelessness" has changed within time to fit better narratives that will comfort individuals who do not want to think about their circumstances. Factors like mental illness or substance use disorder can be a contributing factor, but that is not sufficient to describe every situation. Language is important when talking about substance use disorder. Words like " addict " are dismissive, attributing to a human fault, and dehumanizing.      Everyone has a unique situation and not reducible to a simple cause. A country with more vacant homes that account for that ratio of   31 empty units for every homeless person in the U.S  is alarming. However, this contentious issue of giving housing to the homeless raises ethical, ideological, and political questions. The resolution seems simple but has its complications and bu...

  Hope. While it may not be a very common feeling in the current global pandemic, nonprofits centered around homeless support are doing their part to foster the feeling of hope. In the last week, Hope of the Valley, a nonprofit organization in the Los Angeles area, just opened two brand new tiny home villages in the city. In partnership with councilman Paul Krekorian, the organization was able to add 142 tiny homes and 285 beds. These homes and beds are located in two separate areas in the Los Angeles area, on Chandler Boulevard and in Alexandria Park respectively. These communities include onsite meals, hygiene facilities, case management, housing navigation, mental health services, job training and job placement! This is a wonderful project that has come to fruition, to provide hope to our houseless neighbors, and, they're looking for sponsors! In Bend, OR, Project Turnkey and the Oregon Community Foundation just received approval from city councilors to purchase the Old Mill Inn...

(Infographic by FHC) How a Crisis Response System can help end homelessness. A crisis response system can help people exit homelessness quickly and effectively. The goals of an effective crisis response system are to identify those experiencing homelessness, prevent homelessness when possible, connect people with housing quickly, and provide services when needed. An effective response system achieves those goals by outreach, coordinated entry, diversion and prevention, emergency shelters and interim housing, and permanent housing.  Outreach workers can connect people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to coordinated entry, emergency services, and shelter. Working with other programs in the system can connect people to stable, permanent housing.  Coordinated entry can be implemented with a re-examination of a community's entire homelessness system. It can quickly identify, assess, refer, and connect people in crisis to housing and assistance and services.  Diversion a...

Homelessness isn’t a problem exclusive to the United States. Countries all over the world are experiencing a sharp uptick in the number of people sleeping on the streets each night. According to an article from DW.com , homelessness has been on the rise in every European country for the last decade. Except one: Finland. So how did an entire country manage to successfully reduce the numbers of people experiencing homelessness? Through the national adoption of Finland’s Housing First policy . Chart 1: Housing First Finland and Its Effects on Homelessness. [Source: Housing First ] The above chart demonstrates that, unlike it's EU neighbors, Finland has not only managed to prevent its rate of homelessness from increasing; their numbers are on the decline.  What is Housing First and How is it Different? Transitional housing programs are common in the United States. They often require that individuals achieve various social rehabilitation milestones in order to earn housing, such as gett...