We need businesses to understand what we offer in terms of a diverse, talented educated workforce. Please Sign In and use this article's on page print button to print this article. On the night of the count,374 children under the age of 18 were identified Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. ", By Monique Claiborne President and CEO, Greater Portland Inc, {{ isSignedIn ? Occupancy rates do vary by shelter, and there may be opportunities to increase utilization at sites with more open beds. New neighbors learn to live by Portland's first Safe Rest Take action today! Greater Portland Inc consulted with Development Counsellors International, a place marketing firm to develop a marketing blueprint with a succinct brand promise that articulates reasons to believe. To have the greatest impact, we are asking Oregon lawmakers to consider a $5 million investment to implement the strategy. People The Point-in-Time (PIT) survey counted 6,633 people living without a home in all three counties on the night of Jan. 26, 2022 5,228 in Multnomah County, 808 in A group of homeless people take shelter from the rain under an Interstate 5 freeway overpass on February 11, 2012, in Portland, Oregon. Morgan-Platt said she immediately noticed the increase in homelessness downtown, including the number of people experiencing mental health crises. Home prices are soaring and rents are rising again after plummeting in 2020. Brown said that before the pandemic she frequently visited downtown, soaking in the sights and festivals with her 13-year-old son. This is not professional. This year's count will be coordinated by the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University. The climate and housing crises are intersecting in City Council unanimously agrees on health and safety protocols for unsanctioned campsites, Protecting Health and Safety: Campsite Cleanup Changes June 2020, Sanitation Access Pilot Program Information, 2019 Point-In-Time Demographic Analysis Dashboard, Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with ODOT, Information about City of Portland and ODOT Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), Impact Reduction Program Performance Measures, One Point of Contact Campsite Reporting System, Flow Chart: Homelessness/Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program, City-County Joint Office of Homeless Services, Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program, Homeless people who are chronically homeless, Those who were homeless for less than 6 months, Those who were homeless for more than 2 years. There was also an increase in the number of chronically homeless families: 64 of the people in families on the night of the count were chronically homeless, compared with 52 in 2013, and over half of the chronically homeless families in 2015 were unsheltered. While suburban counties are outpacing Multnomah County, the region as a whole is underperforming. Furnel, Inc. is dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality products and services in a timely manner at a competitive price. approved $100 million in its upcoming budget, SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Secret Chinese Police Stations in Europe Are 'Tip of the Iceberg', Trump's Attorney Just Blew Carroll Rape Case, King Charles Says Royals Require 'Acting Ability', Ukraine Will Regain 'Significant Territory' From Russia, Florida GOP Paves the Way to Help Ron DeSantis Challenge Trump. BEND, OR - AUGUST 9: A "safe parking" zone for the growing homeless population in this community is viewed on a side street off of Highway 97 north of town The HUD Homeless Population shows the Point-in-Time Count Hes very afraid to go downtown now, said Brown, who lives in the outer Southeast Portland neighborhood of Powellhurst-Gilbert. "How on earth do you expect this kind of dangerous rhetoric to push the needle forward? (The salary range for this classification in the current year is approximately $49,000 to $73,000.) We need businesses to understand the heterogenous regional economy we offer and the quality of life that employees can enjoy if they live here. She said her work began scheduling only male employees for evening shifts because most female workers didnt feel comfortable downtown at night. For example, studies show that homelessness relates to increased psychiatric distress and lower perceived levels of recovery from serious mental illness[xiv]; and, WHEREAS, in 2020, Oregon jumped from having the ninth highest rate of meth use in the country to the highest, according to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health data[xv]; and, WHEREAS, the price of meth has decreased, while the potency has increased, allowing users to purchase three days' worth of meth for $5[xvi]; and, WHEREAS, [m]eth dependence gradually develops into not only meth psychosis but also persistent neurocognitive deficits which impair daily living and working[xvii]; and [m]ethamphetamine-induced psychosis is often times clinically indistinguishable from paranoid schizophrenia[xviii]; and meth use can cause obsessive, hoarding behavior[xix]; and, WHEREAS, Oregonians voted overwhelmingly for Measure 110 in 2020, with the understanding that decriminalizing the personal possession of illegal drugs would be coupled with revenue (from marijuana sales and funds reallocated away from drug enforcement) to fund a new drug addiction treatment and recovery grant program[xx]; and, WHEREAS, Measure 110 is a public health approach and when implemented alongside treatment and recovery investment, is a laudable and more humane policy, but in the two years since the decriminalization of the personal use of drugs in Oregon, funds for drug abuse treatment and recovery have yet to be fully implemented[xxi]; and, WHEREAS, only 4.6% of people ticketed for a Measure 110 violation have called Lines for Life to be connected to services[xxii]; and, WHEREAS, there is a 49% gap in substance use disorder services needed by Oregonians[xxiii]; and, WHEREAS, among Oregon Health Plan members, rates of substance use disorder diagnoses suggest that less than half of those with a use disorder have been diagnosed or treated[xxiv]; and, WHEREAS, Oregon ranks second in the nation for percent of population with past year substance use disorder[xxv]; and, WHEREAS, Oregon ranks 50th in nation for percent of population needing but not receiving treatment for substance use disorders[xxvi]; and, DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER, WHEREAS, drug overdoses in Multnomah County increased 94% between 2019 and 2021 (from 215 in 2019 to 417 in 2021)[xxvii], and fentanyl overdoses increased by 588% between 2019 and 2021 (from 25 in 2019 to 172 in 2021)[xxviii]; and, WHEREAS, drug overdoses (417) killed more people in Multnomah County in 2021 than gun violence (71) and automobile crashes (84) combined[xxix]; and, CAMP REMOVALS WITHOUT CAMPING BAN NOT EFFECTIVE, WHEREAS, in Spring of 2021, with the lifting of COVID pandemic restrictions, Mayor Ted Wheeler, issued an Emergency Declaration that created the Street Services Coordination Center (SSCC) that coordinates homelessness outreach efforts by the City of Portland and Multnomah County with the purpose of providing streamlined services to those experiencing unsheltered homelessness[xxx]; and. It is difficult to know the costs of siting this newly proposed model but should site development require similar space allocations and amenities as the Safe Rest Villages (again, not including the cost of sleeping pods), serving 150 people per site would translate to approximately $1.44 to $2.1 million per site. "The embarrassment is just going to keep growing over this," Laura Harth, the campaign director at Safeguard Defenders, told Newsweek. And respondents have very specific ideas of how Portland could address the crisis downtown: cleaning up the streets, reducing crime and reopening bars, restaurants and other attractions. Homeless [xxxiii] Per Impact Reduction Programs latest observation. The proposal, called the Shelter to Housing Continuum project, would provide more options for people at risk of houselessness or already living on the street. "Promoting Portland to be a beacon for a safe space or the sole arbiter of homelessness in the US not only dangerous, but also highly immoral.". Business owners in Old Town Chinatown say they want clear boundaries on where the city will allow camping, and where it will not. The Oregon legislature has also already approved $100 million in its upcoming budget for homeless services and housing while, earlier this year, lawmakers made headlines for proposed legislation to begin a year-long trial program to give low-income earners and the homeless $1,000 in guaranteed income per month for rent, emergency expenses, food and childcare. As mentioned above, the direct costs of this resolution are predominantly in the form of staff time and capacity in developing an implementation plan for goals established in the resolution. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Portland city, Oregon Support the news and programs youll rely on in 2023 and beyond! I think the whole metro area would suffer otherwise.. You shoved me at the door, man, the activist yelled. Portland People Still, he remains concerned that tourists and locals who may have seen downtown as a cultural destination or shopping hub in the past wont be as willing to return until conditions improve. A Portland city leaders effort to temporarily pause the distribution of tents and tarps to homeless people has drawn the ire of local activists who have disrupted the last two city council meetings, including scuffling with a security guard on Wednesday. Additionally, there would likely need to be materials and services costs as well as supervisory positions added to this cost estimate. She said the city and county should be more creative and proactive in finding temporary alternatives to house the homeless, even as they continue to work on long-term solutions. Oregon The numbers have likely shifted dramatically in the following year, however. Given that the focus is on opening beds already funded, any direct financial impacts of this resolution would likely pertain to staff or capacity costs to increase the availability and utilization of currently funded beds. Both states saw 61%of their homeless population living outdoors. The percentage of people surveyed who report being disabled has not changed significantly but it remains very high (57%) and it is even higher for certain groups (for example, 67% of women report being disabled). But it nonetheless belies poll respondents perceptions that downtown has become considerably less safe. Nearly $5 million from the police bureau was redirected to Portland Street Response, a new city program to dispatch unarmed first responders to answer calls The extreme decline in pedestrian traffic downtown surely accounts for a good deal of that decrease. Multnomah Countys population has declined in each of the past two years, a phenomenon that one Portland State University researcher attributes to an aging population leaving for the suburbs, reputational damage and the rise in homelessness as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLives Jamie Goldberg. The new Peer Support Specialist classification created for Portland Street Response costs out at approximately $100,000 annually, including benefits. Why dont you build some f***ing houses for people? one activist yelled. Unsanctioned fires put our first responders, houseless individuals and our neighborhoods at risk. By Julie Sabatier (OPB), Chris Gonzalez (OPB) and Dave Miller (OPB) April 20, 2022 5 a.m. In addition to the likely costs resulting from this plan, the SSCC is funded with one-time resources in the current fiscal year. It is thus essential that we prioritize access to healthcare and an adequate supply of permanent supportive housing if we are to succeed in ending homelessness. Gonzalezs office did not respond to a request for comment from National Review on Thursday. Many downtown Portland storefronts remain covered in plywood, while other business have shut down entirely, nearly a year after large-scale protests began following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to announce Oregon is receiving $9.5 million in federal GPI's Monique Claiborne on rehabilitating Portland's Hire 50 additional navigation team members as City employees to engage in outreach and navigation to shelter and services in partnership with the County and JOHS navigators. A scuffle ensued when a security guard attempted to remove one of the activists. What makes these findings even more devastating is that they are based on data from before COVID-19, and we know the pandemic has only made the homelessness crisis worse, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge said in a video that accompanied the reports release Thursday. Portland Oregon bill would decriminalize homeless encampments Asked for their perceptions of downtown, respondents frequently used words like destroyed, trashed, riots and sad. Many cited homelessness as a particular issue, and said there is an urgent need for the city to find housing and support people living on the street. The Oregonian/OregonLive commissioned the poll to assess perceptions of downtown from those who live and work in the metro area. Population and business declines can wreak havoc on communities and even crumble local economies. "We are asking Oregon lawmakers to consider a $5 million investment to implement (a marketing) strategy. Homeless residents and their advocates say they want improved access to mental health care. [xxxvii]https://www.portland.gov/charter-code-policies/changes/2022/3/ordinance-number-190756, [xxxviii]https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/sep/03/vancouver-safe-stay-community-nourished-with-meals-prepared-by-volunteers/, [xxxix]https://www.rogueretreat.org/housing-shelter/, [xl]https://www.portland.gov/wheeler/news/2022/10/4/mayor-wheeler-releases-rfi-project-report-polysubstance-stabilization-center, [xli]https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2022/09/07/46063805/class-action-lawsuit-accuses-portland-of-violating-americans-with-disabilities-act-by-allowing-tents-on-sidewalks.