Homelessness in Oregon

In 2016, a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that the U.S. state of Oregon had an estimated homeless population of 13,238 with about 60.5% of these people still unsheltered.[1] In 2017, these numbers were even higher. As of January 2017, Oregon has an estimated 13,953 individuals experiencing homelessness. Of this homeless population, 1,083 are family households, 1,251 are veterans, 1,462 are unaccompanied young adults (aged 18–24), and 3,387 are individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.[2]

Whoville Homeless Camp in Eugene, Oregon, 2013

Homeless people have found themselves unwelcome near businesses in Portland.[3] Some of the complaints given are that homeless people 'scare customers away'; 'are too noisy'; and that 'they block the way'.[4][5] A city ordinance called 'sidewalk obstruction ordinance' was an ordinance which homeless advocates complained "criminalizes homelessness".[3] This was however, quashed by a judge's decision in 2009.[3] This decision left the police and business owners with disorderly conduct which the police chief said comes with the difficulty of proving intent and finding witnesses.[3]

Portland
An encampment in Lloyd District neighborhood of Portland in 2020.
Male transient in Portland, Oregon, in 2016

In Portland, the local government took efforts in trying to become a zero-homeless city, which failed to meet its mission.[6] This is through a 10-year plan which they proposed in 2005 which states that they would move people into affordable housing rather than moving them to temporary shelters.[7]

Illegal camps have been growing in and around Portland since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those have become a public safety and health concerns.[8] One of the leading complaints about transient camps in Portland has been the used hypodermic needles on the ground which has been worsening as city suspended cleanups during the pandemic.[9] Businesses in Old Town Chinatown have voiced concerns about the increasing number of tents[8] A business owner and Old Town Chinatown neighborhood board member interviewed by The Oregonian said the number of tents have grown significantly since the pandemic and have heard from his customers that they don't feel comfortable visiting the area.[10]

Between 2013 and February 2019, the police department has seen a 60% increase in "unwanted person" complaints.[11] Homeless represent 3% of population while representing 52% of arrests.[12]

Homeless related pedestrian deaths as well as pedestrian deaths have been common in Portland in 2021 with a high number of deaths.

Homeless camps have been met with city council decisions more often in 2021 and 2022 with dealings over the city’s homelessness crisis.

References
  1. Eastman, Janet (November 23, 2016). "Most of Oregon's homeless families live on the street, in cars, parks: Highest percentage in US., says HUD report". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  2. "Oregon Homelessness Statistics in 2017". U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Archived from the original on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  3. Mayer, James (July 15, 2009). "Portland grapples with homeless issue after ruling on sidewalk ordinance". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  4. Griffin, Anna (February 21, 2015). "Handling Panhandling". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. Flaccus, Gillian (September 11, 2016). "Portland homeless crisis grows, creating dissent in tolerant Oregon city". Review Journal. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  6. Griffin, Anna (2015-01-17). "Our Homeless Crisis: Successes of Portland's 10-year plan to end homelessness". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2019-03-06. Portland's 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness failed to fulfill its stated mission.
  7. Oregonian/OregonLive, Anna Griffin | The (2015-01-17). "Our homeless crisis". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  8. Vinson, Ty (2020-07-22). "As coronavirus rages, Portland's homeless camps continue to grow". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. Wood, Brian (2020-07-14). "Portland company keeps hypodermic needles out of landfills by recycling them". KATU. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  10. Goldberg, Jamie (August 2, 2020). "Portland drafts plan to revive downtown, but business owners worry city is moving too slowly". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  11. Shepard, Katie (February 6, 2019). "Portlanders Call 911 to Report "Unwanted" People More Than Any Other Reason. We Listened In". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  12. Smith, Anna V. (June 13, 2020). "There's already an alternative to calling the police". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
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