I lived in downtown Portland for a while. It seemed every year the homeless issue got worse. I am really thankful programs like this exist because it gives some of the homeless people a way out,...
I lived in downtown Portland for a while. It seemed every year the homeless issue got worse.
I am really thankful programs like this exist because it gives some of the homeless people a way out, and it really does help the city (trust me, you do not want to see the downtown core early in the morning before clean and safe starts).
However, from the city's perspective programs like these can't be anything more than bandaids. The programs may help to (partially) hide the issue from the public, but without actually solving the reason so many people are unable to get healthy and find stability this situation will continue to worsen.
Honestly, I don't know the answer. I don't know if anyone has the answer. But our current situation is not sustainable. From what I can see part of the problem is that even if someone wants help, the resources are spread extremely thin. Average rent in the
downtown area, where the most resources are available, was something like 1500 for a 1 bedroom last I checked. There is section 8 housing of course, but waitlist times can be extremely long. One group's waitlist for their 41 properties ranges from 2-20 years.
I lived in downtown Portland for a while. It seemed every year the homeless issue got worse.
I am really thankful programs like this exist because it gives some of the homeless people a way out, and it really does help the city (trust me, you do not want to see the downtown core early in the morning before clean and safe starts).
However, from the city's perspective programs like these can't be anything more than bandaids. The programs may help to (partially) hide the issue from the public, but without actually solving the reason so many people are unable to get healthy and find stability this situation will continue to worsen.
Honestly, I don't know the answer. I don't know if anyone has the answer. But our current situation is not sustainable. From what I can see part of the problem is that even if someone wants help, the resources are spread extremely thin. Average rent in the
downtown area, where the most resources are available, was something like 1500 for a 1 bedroom last I checked. There is section 8 housing of course, but waitlist times can be extremely long. One group's waitlist for their 41 properties ranges from 2-20 years.