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 of us, sitting in front of a TV screen, and just watching some mindless tv show is good fun. It helps decompress from a long day at school, and/or work. A guilty pleasure of mine is Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. However, on the fourteenth episode of the twelfth season titled: "Shameless Not Ruthless", I could not believe the level of delusion and lack of self-awareness these affluent women showed. To summarize, Dorit Kemsley, one of the housewives featured in the show spoke about a charity that she had been working on called Homeless Not Toothless . Their mission statement states that this “501c3 nonprofit has provided free dental care to disadvantaged populations including Veterans, the homeless, poor, mentally ill, physically disabled, foster youth, domestic violence survivors, and the elderly, in the greater Los Angeles and surrounding areas since 1991. A particular focus is on veterans with disabilities including PTSD. Patients receive denta...

Image Source There's no small sum of homelessness-oriented nonprofits operating in and around Portland. They cover issues ranging from everyday necessities like food, seasonally appropriate clothing, and temporary shelter to more permanent solutions such as creating and advocating for affordable housing as well as providing services that help the homeless regain financial stability (e.g., through job training, connections with viable opportunities). These are all wonderful, providing essential services that all help to alleviate various aspects of the homelessness issue, but there is always more to be done. Nicole Hayden, writing for Oregon Live, shares an interview with Robert Magee-Coffin and his neighbors that elucidates some unmet needs of the Portland homeless population. They identify a need for more behavioral health services, alternate shelters (established indoor shelters prove insufficient and often undesirable), housing advocacy, trash removal, and access to additi...

  Image Credit: Jonathan Levinson (OPB); https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-police-sweeps-homeless-cleanups/ Homelessness, as things stand, is an unfortunate inevitability of contemporary society. Long standing social, economic, political, and even natural forces render endless droves of people not just without shelter, but without stability nor a clear path to recovery. While the slow process of policy making continues to lag behind rectifying the many systemic, root causes of homelessness, more immediate solutions are necessary to help those in need right now – those who can’t afford to wait decades for their situations to improve. This is where nonprofit organizations shine. Homelessness-oriented nonprofits have a variety of ways to address the needs of the homeless and populations at risk of homelessness. Pouring over the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Central City Concern’s webpages, there appear to be, roughly speaking, two ways of tackling the issue:...