on the housing crisis

Right now, there are more than 5,000 people experiencing homelessness in Portland. Thousands more experience housing instability. Many of these folks are students and/or people with disabilities.

In 2022, we lost 315 people on the streets of Portland. These deaths are entirely preventable.

Every Portlander (past, present & future) should be able to find and keep a safe, stable home they can afford. Housing is a human right and there are practical steps we can take to make it more accessible to those who urgently need it. We must streamline the process of getting folks off the streets and into transitional housing & we must plan long-term by investing in affordable housing.

The most recent data available from the Joint Office on Homeless Services shows 93.7% of all shelters were utilized in November 2023. We need to build more day & night shelters for homeless people with mental health and drug treatment services, alternative shelters, and shelters for people during weather emergencies. Unhoused families with children specifically deserve services tailored to their unique needs.

A strong safety net means no one left behind. we must develop culturally specific treatment programs and expand in-patient care facilitates for portlanders who are significantly mentally ill.

This housing crisis is also entangled with a broader drug & addiction crisis. Housing is not enough - we also need to build a Sobering Center, invest in more beds at Hooper Detoxification Center & build a recovery center where people can get short-term assistance until they are housed.

We cannot wait around for the housing market to fix itself. Streamlining the permitting process will accelerate the private sector + revisiting zoning laws will incentivize multi-family buildings and correct historic, racial inequities. Thumbnail Photo by Kevin Butz on Unsplash