HOW PORTLAND OFFICIALS ARE DEALING WITH THE HOMELESS CRISIS

Over the last handful of years, you surely have noticed the houseless communities in Portland – and may have wondered how individuals there can be truly helped.

Will Portland’s next mayor – since incumbent Ted Wheeler announced he won’t seek re-election – have any good answers?

According to Portland.gov, between 2015 and 2023 homelessness increased by 65% (from 1,887 to 6,297 known individuals). Summers of wildfires displacing Oregon residents, decriminalization of drugs and the proliferation of fentanyl, ever-increasing rental hikes, stagnating wages, and the COVID-19 pandemic: all have contributed to the deep wounds felt through the community.

The year 2021 saw a 53% rise in homeless deaths – 193 of our neighbors perished on the streets, 60% of which were caused by substance use and abuse. Four died during the June 2021 “heat dome” and eight died of hypothermia in winter that same year. There is no updated number for houseless ‘youth’, but in 2015 that number was 6.9% of the recorded population.

Photos by Tony Acker

It’s easy to see that the numbers have increased. Efforts to place families in housing, whether in newly constructed apartments or so-called “safe rest villages” across the city have helped many in need. Expansion of services and fostering of empathy and compassion while still maintaining guidance will be needed to continue to help heal our community.

But with Portland’s recently instituted overnight camping ban, and continued sweeps of camps, many houseless residents are left bewildered and confused where to go next.

While navigating these turbulent time and documenting the crisis around me, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experiences. I grew up in Los Angeles County and conceding that parts of Portland remind me of Skidrow is incredibly disheartening.

I’ve been homeless many times in my life. For six months my old girlfriend and I lived in our car, spending nights at a rest stop south of Portland while we saved for an apartment. During this particularly challenging period, I worked as a retail photographer for a wedding linens company, a stark contrast to the world I captured through my lens during the day.

This really cemented in my mind that not everyone experiencing homelessness was in their situation by any fault of their own. My own experiences have instilled a deep responsibility to investigate the homeless crisis and advocate for solutions.

Wheeler is stepping aside, he said, to focus on helping form Portland’s new government. Voters have approved major changes, expanding the City Council from five to 12 members organized into four geographic districts, with three council members per district. The mayor’s role will shift to overseeing daily city operations, while council members focus solely on legislation, with a new city administrator (appointed by the mayor) to oversee the city’s bureaus.

This reorganization aims to provide clearer oversight and management compared to the previous system. Now, after Wheeler departs, the next Portland mayor will face the formidable task of navigating the homelessness crisis.

So far, two candidates have formally entered the 2024 race. Will they bring comprehensive plans for helping and healing Portland’s homeless population in this new political landscape?

Current Portland City Council member Mingus Mapps, 55, is a professor and who was elected in 2020, winning 55% of the votes. He earned his doctorate in government from Cornell University after graduating from Reed University. No doubt he has a vast education and is knowledgeable in politics. But where does he stand when it comes to helping our community on the streets? Why Mapps has yet to reply to an Advocate query on the issue, we can review his council positions and process on tackling homelessness.

He holds firm that Safe Rest Villages have been a success across the city and plans to further back them.

“We’ve gotten people off the sidewalks into tiny homes and we’re also finding that over time, folks are transitioning from those homes into jobs and more stable housing,” Mapps said in a prior interview with KOIN-TV. He has also expressed seemingly genuinely concern over addressing the issues of mental health and substance addiction, two key factors in creating a houseless situation and keeping those people on the streets and in tents.

However, he voted “Yes” to enact provisions from House Bill 3115, Oregon legislation passed in 2021 (ORS 195.530) which sets in motion a requirement that “sitting, lying, sleeping, or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property that is open to the public… be objectively reasonable as to time, place, and manner,” under penalty of fines up to $100 or 30 days in jail.

In a statement prior to his vote when Portland adopted the policy in July, Mapps stated “Portlanders want a return to order, cleanliness, and peace on our streets.”

At what cost, though?

Youth Counselor Durrell Kinsey Bey is the second mayor candidate who has filed, and generously offered his time to explain his vision for the city and communities of Portland.

Age 29, Bey was born in Kennewick, Washington, and graduated from Hanford High School in nearby Richland. He is a member of The Moorish Science Temple of America, the oldest American-based Islamic society, and is currently a youth essentials coordinator with REAP Inc. in Portland.

Asked (as was Mapps) what policies or initiatives he proposes to reduce homelessness while prioritizing the dignity and well-being of homeless individuals and families, Bey responded “It is a deeply rooted religious obligation to exercise principles of action toward Moral Rejuvenation and Healing Justice. It is a part of my faith to uplift fallen humanity.”

“We must address the rampant fear that many in Portland have that the fundamental dignity of food, clothing, shelter, and medical care could be refused to anyone. We will do this by repurposing existing buildings and utilizing vacant or underutilized space, which will likely require restructuring our city’s current zoning laws,” Bey said.

He said the city should collaborate with supportive services such as and expand CBT/DBT training, alternative medicines, somatic therapies, and rehabilitation across the city and all age groups.”

He said a “balanced approach toward public safety will feature a three-tier enforcement system, beginning with mental health professionals, trained security personnel, and then law enforcement only as a last resort.”

I also both men to outline a strategy for increasing affordable housing stock in the city, and how to ensure it remains accessible. In the first quarter of 2023, Portland residents faced vacancy rates as tight as 5.2%. While Portland does mandate that 20% of all new housing construction must be “low-income accessible,” rents keep increasing for families while wages have stagnated and inflation runs rampant, resulting in extra and unneeded housing hardship.

Bey answered that “sustainable accessibility” to low-income residents “will be achieved through walkability and incentivizing small businesses, especially those aiding in Portland Logistics: personal parcels, the protection of “independent contractors,” and organizations such as Meals on Wheels.” The overall goal is to provide employment opportunities for “our unhoused neighbors upon their inevitable completion of rehabilitation and various transformative therapies,” he said.

I also asked what steps they as mayor would take to engage with homeless individuals and advocacy groups to gather their input and involve them in the decision-making process.

Bey said he proposes “a holistic view of health and wellness, considering not only individual health but also the health of the entire family unit” – offering families a wide range of support with “mental health, childcare, family counseling, somatic therapy, and other alternative healing services as a viable and regrettably untested solution.”

Clearly, the challenges of tackling houselessness in our city are profound, and the most vulnerable of our citizens are facing a crossroads. The mounting crisis will test any candidates for mayor and will prove to be a pivotal chapter in the city’s history.