Most would imagine camping as a care-free, fun activity with friends and family; a fire lit, s'mores roasting, tents with warm sleeping bags. Many don’t imagine camping as a way of life or survival, but this is the situation for the homeless population in Portland. The problem is camping is illegal in the city of Portland, OR. According to The Oregonian, there are only two legal homeless camps in Portland: Dignity Village in North Portland and The Right 2 Dream Too. A homeless man named Ibrahim Mubarak, who helped start both Dignity Village and The Right 2 Dream Too feels that "...we need more legal camps, unless we're suddenly going to come up with houses for everyone." Furthermore, he highlighted the fact that "...You have a two-year waiting list to get housing in this city. If you're trying to stop doing drugs, get a handle on a mental-health problem, stay away from somebody who abused you, two years is a very, very long time.” Despite the fact that Portland does offer two sanctuaries for the homeless, it is still not enough, as there are over 2,000 people a night sleeping on the streets in Portland. Portland’s lack of shelter for the homeless can be attributed to the development and improvement of inner city neighborhoods such as the Central Eastside Industrial District, Washington High School and St. Francis Park that pushed the homeless population out.
While Portland is known as a city that accommodates for the homeless population, there are still problems, especially in the relationship between the homeless and law enforcement. The police are required to enforce the no-camping law, which is run based on complaints from the public. In general, if the homeless “stay out of sight, out of trouble, and away from large groups, officers will usually leave you alone.” This concept has benefitted the homeless population, as it allows them to be spared from arrest for being homeless. Sergeant Nate Voeller of the Central Precinct’s neighborhood response team said that “we know as well as anybody that people need a place to sleep, and that we don’t have enough options in Portland.” It is clear that Portland has a problem with homelessness. The problem is not that there are homeless people in the city, but that there are only two legal camps in the whole city that are reaching their maximum capacity. It is our responsibility to help alleviate this issue, as it is a violation of human rights and safety for the public as a whole. -Maddy Zimba
To find out more about homelessness in Portland, check out these links:
The article this post references: http://www.oregonlive.com/homeless/2015/06/post_1.html
http://www.portlandcopwatch.org/OR_Homeless_Rights.pdf
http://www.golocalpdx.com/news/homeless-right-to-sleep-on-sidewalks-pushed-by-oregon-senator
Photo Sources:
http://koin.com/2015/12/02/r2dtoo-campers-face-eviction-before-new-site-is-ready/
http://www.tentcityurbanism.com/2011/08/view-of-dignity-village.html
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