UPDATE: Six long cold rainy months have passed since City Commissioner Nick Fish promised the Oregon Law Center, an Oregonian reporter, the homeless people of Portland, and their allies (for the umpteenth time) that he would modify the City’s strict (and clearly un-constitutional) camping ban. His Office has had a succession of excuses, each of them either untrue or truth mixed with lies.

Commissioner Fish is in charge of the “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness,” so of course many believe him when he promises to do something. But this is ongoing injustice. This is justice delayed and thus denied — on a systematic, ongoing basis — for thousands suffering outside. This depriving of poor people of their rights — to simply sleep in a dry tent or under a tarp, and to just be left alone (even when in out-of-the way places, doing no harm), and to be free from unreasonable seizure of  their only possessions by police –  is  constitutionally and morally WRONG. Nick Fish is an attorney who knows all about civil rights.

Mr. Fish knows better. This delay in modifying the camping ban speaks volumes about which side of the civil rights struggle he’s working for.   These ongoing injustices are being permitted day and night by City Council leaders who don’t care enough to have stopped it by now.

Perhaps a dozen people have died waiting for the simple right to put a tarp or tent over their heads so they can sleep. Hundreds more have suffered the onset of mental illness for the first time, because of the ongoing sleeplessness and fear which accompanies their homelessness — in a town where police treat them like dogs.

Our homeless friend George grew up in Portland. He died during that record cold weather of December. George was never one to ask for anything. He reported that police had taken his tent in late November, but said he was getting another.

Our friend George died near the Lloyd Center during that week-long, terrible cold spell here in December. He often refused to go to a shelter because, he would say, “If I really hussle and do get in there, that leaves someone else out.”  In Portland today, a thousand more shivering people are still alive, without any shelter — tired, and waiting.

Without options, still forced to sleep outside, they are afraid of the Portland Police. Ask any homeless person you see whether  they aren’t afraid or very cautious. It’s a tiny minority of the homeless who have “chosen” that kind of life these days. Thugs often harass the homeless when police don’t. One homeless man was murdered not far from Fred Meyer’s at 30th & Weidler in late January.

Worst of all, the homeless are afraid of police harassment.

So many have lost their possessions in sweeps. The Portland Police have used every excuse to throw out the supposedly helpful “gentleperson’s agreement” worked out to appease the Oregon Law Center. They nightly make their rounds harassing poor people who have no options (knowing these folks can’t afford lawyers).

When homeless people are awakened, they sometimes try to sit, awake, on out-of-the-way parts of the sidewalks. The then police consistently lie, saying that they are in the way (when clearly often not), or else the Police say  that violence or drugs were happening. We have filmed sweeps where there were clearly no violations of law happening (not even by the new ADA standard re/ sidewalks), yet this is consistently in the reports of police the reason for the forcing people off of sidewalks.

We have seen and filmed this over-reach, these violations of the City’s new ‘Sidewalk Management Plan.’  Most people in Portland know that bullying is rampant among Police here. The City Council is enabling these unconstitutional abuses through their omissions.  And Nick Fish in particular is responsible for the ongoing suffering and some deaths of thousands of homeless people for his having dragged his feet and avoided modifying the camping ban — all the while showing the most professional courtesy to the Oregon Law Center and the Court where the City is being sued for its cruelty.

Sleeping "legally" in Irvington, this man is not blocking the sidewalk, and not covering himself with a tarp, tent or other covering. The police came and told him he had to leave anyway.

In the coming weeks -sooner or later — likely before his re-election bid starts making news — Nick Fish will tell the Portland Business Alliance something like this: “Sorry my rich supportive friends, but we held them off as long as we could. The lawsuit has been drawn out as long as our City Attorneys could, but… We now need to modify the ban, before some liberal bleeding-heart judge lifts the ban altogether!”

Actions do speak louder than words.

Maybe next week they will offer a settled modification of the ban. At that point, the set of problems outlined in the November Archive will need to be discussed. Please be prepared to go to City Council when the camping issue comes up, and advocate for all of the homeless people who will not be given permission to camp on private property! MOST will likely not be given such permission. Fish will be proposing a ‘night time only’ camping privilege — from 9 pm to 7 am, REGARDLESS OF WEATHER. This is foolishness. If Portland Police enforced the letter of the new law (and you know they will), then that means people will get wet every morning at 7 AM when forced to pack up and move. Move where?! There are not enough day warming centers either. There is not enough space in the libraries, or under the eves at Goodwill… These people will get wet, and they will stay wet. They will remain tired and often get sick and sometimes commit crimes of desperation.

Please watch for this issue to come before the City Council. Come and speak! Meantime, write to the newspapers, and talk to your neighbors and friends. Let’s demand a better policy than the one they are likely to propose. See the City Council Agenda and times at: http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=26997

Note: the City Auditor’s Office updates the Agenda each Friday for the upcoming week, so there is a good ‘heads up’ time.

Please get familiar with the camping/ alternative sheltering issues if you like, by reading Dignity Advocate’s October Archive here at: http://dignityadvocate.wordpress.com/2009/10/

Joe Anybody blogs about the same issues at: http://joe-anybody.blogspot.com/2010/01/lawsuit-due-to-portlands-anti-camping.html

Street Roots reported recently about this at: http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/camping-lawsuit-talks-stall-as-new-rules-hang-in-the-balance/

By the way – it is NOT true what Commissioner Fish keeps saying to justify the delay. Just because a law is under suit, and the City in settlement negotiations, does NOT mean that they can not modify the camping ban in the meantime. They are looking for a way to loosen the ban as little as possible, is all, and want to know exactly how much the judge in the Anderson case might require before they act.

No doubt a LOWER COST, higher-yield “affordable housing” approach among the cities of the metro area is badly needed. Especially for Portland – which receives and spends the lion’s share of H.U.D. money coming into Oregon – where we have (at last report) THE highest rate of per capita homelessness in the U.S.

homeless and in fear of frequent weekly sweeps by police, thousands in the Portland area are sober and honest - seeking work, but finding none.

With federal funding for housing about to level off (even as the numbers of homeless increase dramatically), the concerned Oregon activist citizen would now do well to prepare to scrutinize how that money should be spent locally. Surely the money which our local governments will spend CAN produce many many more units of ‘affordable housing’ than has been the trend.

For the millions of housing dollars which have been spent lately by local politicians on “affordable” housing units (at $100,000 + per unit) Portland’s Housing Bureau COULD be producing tens of thousands of more truly affordable units. Especially if in cooperation with the local counties (as in land use), MANY THOUSANDS of new simpler, lower-cost housing units could be built within the year.

Ironic isn’t it – to be calling for more affordable “affordable housing” – so that we can house MORE PEOPLE. The homeless population is growing locally SO fast that the “ending homelessness” goals of Housing Bureau/CCEH are no longer true. It’s as if they are ignoring a pink elephant in the room, as the numbers of people without shelter reach epidemic proportions. What ARE the broader costs of letting this go on? That subject is for another writing. But indisputably there are already far more people experiencing homelessness than the current ‘Ten Year Plan’ to End Homelessness’ can deal with.

We call upon City Councils and County Boards everywhere to devote idle public lands (especially county lands) and resources (vacant buildings included) to housing projects with the goal of MORE units for the money. Cities and counties working in greater cooperation could more wisely spend City-managed HUD funds in this way.

We ask that all citizens call on Nick Fish for the most efficient use of any new federal funding. With the near-wizardry found on the lawyerly Commissioner’s bureaucratic housing team, we are hopeful they CAN figure out legal and more moral ways to NOT CONTINUE ALLOWING dozens to freeze to death here or die of despair on the streets (R.I.P. George E. Clark. et al who’ve died outdoors this winter in Portland so far).

Many people are hopeful that all good citizens here will voice their concerns and demand that many many more housing units be produced for the money locally. This we need, along with an emphasis on use of PUBLIC lands, and EXISTING public buildings.

Not quite true lately - due to the housing market collapse and Obama's H.U.D. funding increases... FACT: there are THOUSANDS of empty houses without tenants lately, all across Oregon. They are owned by banks that won't rent them to government programs or charities at much less than a very inflated market value!. Vacant public builings and idle public lands are also everywhere unused.

We do NOT need always need to build new hotel-like structures, or to build new at all. The money will run out way too quickly – as it has been – leaving thousands on the streets. There are many rational engineering designs for strawbale and earthbag construction at your disposal, for example. And why not lower costs further by contracting with capable un-sheltered people to help build or renovate their own structures? If building designs also incorporated more shared workspaces, and an ongoing emphases on self-support activities, this really might allow nearly everyone to be housed eventually – even if public budgets keep shrinking locally. The federal money, we believe, will run lower and lower over time. More innovative local solutions are needed.

Let’s think about facilitating greater self support for the newly sheltered. Common work shops, gardening, canning, building construction and maintenance, trails and parks maintenance, leaf removal from the streets in fall, etc. This could be done by people grateful to work perhaps 20 hours per week for simple room, board and a stipend. This is efficiency. This will allow us to get far more people off of the streets.

What else makes for greater efficiency in order to house as many homeless people as possible? Shared kitchens, shared workshops, shared vehicles and garages, shared sewing rooms, shared libraries and tools, whatever it takes to help
A) minimize costs of housing and food programs — resulting in MORE housing units produced for the same money, and
B) build vocationally focused, educationally/therapeutic,

self-reliance-focused communities. Part-time work is therapeutic for nearly everyone. Rebuilds self-esteem for those who’ve suffered all of the uncertainty and continual rejection which characterize homelessness.

At minimum, for a start, there should be another homeless encampment. This could be similar to dignity-village, except that its capacity would need to be many times higher than D.V.’s in order to help more people. The Dignity Village collective, as imperfect as it may be, has MUCH lower costs than other Housing Bureau favorites. The CCC’s and TPI’s of our city are housing maybe 5 people for what D.V. spends to house nearly 50 people. For the same amount of money!

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the dignity of housing for under $3000 per unit - complete with up-to-code mini-heaters and fire extinguishers

The excuse has often been made by the CCEH that “housing” definitions will not permit dignity-village type of developments. NOT TRUE. There are bureaucratic wizards, I tell you, among Nick Fish’s people there. They could tailor their applications and their projects to fit the requirements of the federal money. It’s usually simply a matter of making sure that needed social services are made a part of the housing project.

They could figure out a way. Perhaps our elected leaders lack motivation. Maybe they are too insensitive to just how bad it is for so many people on the streets in a Portland winter. Or maybe it’s another kind of …lack of motivation. Clearly, there’s not as much money to be made in building straw bale huts in an out-of-the-way field as there is in investing in high-priced units tucked in amongst Pearl condos. But it is quite possible to spend the millions of federal dollars on creating thousands of units instead of just hundreds.

There’s also this kind of under-reported incompetence (at best) with the public money meant to house low income people: http://theportlander.com/city-of-portland-another-2-million-evaporates-into-thin-air/

expensive “low cost housing” …. The City’s Housing Bureau took a big risk investing in high dollar real estate – in the end producing ZERO units of affordable housing on the South Water Front District.

We need leadership with more vision to make this happen, that’s all. Leaders who are willing to tell the big players in the Portland Business Alliance (e.g. CHASE and Wells Fargo, and the billionaires club) that we WILL allow the poor to be seen. We need leadership that has a better sense of real urgency about shelter – the way 10,000 homeless people locally have an urgent sense of cold and hunger and loss. Are our leaders, so often backed by soul-less corporations, lacking motivation, or are they just out of touch? The suffering of a fast-increasing number of voting, homeless people (and their allies) in the Portland area is on your consciences — whether you are aware of the consequences of your omissions, or not.

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Note: Oregon law already allows for yurts or other mobile structures as emergency shelter.  Portland and every Oregon city is already authorized to create TWO tent cities or other ‘transitional housing’ projects or encampments under Oregon law. Dignity Village arguably qualifies as one for Portland. Another could be set up at relatively low cost, and with proper planning could provide health/sanity-saving relief to perhaps a hundred (+) people immediately.  See, ORS Chapter 446.265 (5). http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/446.html .

Where is the local leadership?

Is it in the public interest to rationally de-criminalize camping in Portland, so that thousands of un-sheltered people locally don’t have to sleep out in the rain?

Should people be allowed to camp in plain view, rather than have to find places to hide in order to avoid being randomly roused by police or thugs at 3 a.m.? Should official shelter spaces (with services) be freed up to serve more vulnerable people, while healthier adults are allowed to pitch tents out-of-doors?

Yes.    We believe that this is clearly in the public interest.

Wouldn't it be better to designate appropriate, legal camping places?

In the coming days, the Portland City Council will be asked by Commissioner Nick Fish to consider allowing some camping in Portland. Camping will be allowed only according to guidelines defining proper conduct, places, and times.

How the Council will vote is yet undetermined. We believe that they are under pressure from dull and insensitive elements within the Portland Police Bureau to oppose any significant easing of the camping ban. The powerful Portland Business Alliance has also been consistently opposed to any kind of visible poverty (and thus camping)  as this might tarnish the image of our nice clean city. Thus this unconscionable delay.

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There are links, facts, and figures throughout this Post. We hope to raise public awareness about this camping issue, and homelessness generally. We want to urge you to contact Nick Fish and the rest of the City Council. We hope that you will feel moved to tell them that you want to see more effective measures taken to help the un-sheltered.

We hope that you will insist to each member of the City Council that it is in the public interest to support an easing of the camping ban. You might also ask that they support development of local work and education programs which would help those currently homeless toward self support. Contact information for our Council members are at the bottom of this Post.

Some Facts:   at least 10,000 People Are Now Consistently Sleeping Out-of-Doors in the Metro Area.

Oregon has the highest percentage of homeless citizens of all fifty states. Worse, ours is one of only a small number of states where the majority of our homeless citizens are without any shelter. The camping ban works to ensure this.

Local officials are constantly quoting smaller numbers, while pointing to all their successes. Portland has its boundaries and Gresham has their’s. It’s easy to NOT count people who refuse to respond to surveys or who remain hidden. The numbers of those who are consistently without shelter locally easily add up to over 10,000 by now.  At least twice that number, perhaps 20,000 more, have only temporary housing. Many of those temporarily housed are in high stress, unhealthy situations.

First Time Homeless

The homeless population is different now than it was two years ago. Unemployment and under-employment have made for a huge increase. There are about a quarter million unemployed Oregonians, with more than half of these in the Metro area.

Half way through Portland/Multnomah’s so called “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness,” the number of newly homeless citizens has quickly gotten way beyond the reach of our local Bureaucrats. The Ten Year Plan uses a housing-with-case-management approach developed by the Bush Administration, focusing on the chronically homeless. Ten Year Plans were adopted by hundreds of cities across the U.S. These cities have all become heavily dependent on federal Housing and Urban Development Department funding to implement their ‘Ten Year Plans.’

where's better? here or in a field with a tent?

This approach — focusing primarily on the chronically homeless — is outdated in today’s economy. It is very costly, and yet is only able to help a fraction of the fast growing homeless population. Most of those experiencing homelessness today are not ‘chronically’ prone to homelessness, but rather are high functioning, working class, and relatively newly homeless.

Most of the Portland area homeless today are either not qualified for housing assistance or are on two to three-year-long waiting lists.

Our emergency shelters are already full.

Hundreds are being turned away nightly. Many don’t even bother trying to check in any more at the shelters. Hundreds are sleeping in their cars, but among them, many are unable to renew expired tags or pay for insurance, or for gas. The streets, a last resort, is all that’s left for many.

Most of today’s homeless do their best to stay hidden in order to keep their possessions safe, and/or to sleep without fear of harassment by police or thugs. Hiding in order to sleep can be dangerous though, especially for women. For many it makes for increased despair.

This strict camping ban is bad for public health and public safety.

What is left for those stuck without options in the rain? Pitching a tent or a tarp or a piece of cardboard in an out-of-the-way spot to avoid the rain and cold? Nope – sorry! Pitching a tent is illegal in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.  The same kind of anti-camping (anti-sleeping) laws are in place in cities across this country as well, especially in the ‘red’ states.

What’s especially terrible about this – is that most homeless people locally don’t know where to find food outside the City. So they feel they must stay in the City where food and other services are available. Most of these people have run out of options. They likely have friends and relatives who are barely above water or in the same boat.

Adding to their misery is the fact that the Portland Police Bureau has a serious problem with bullies in their ranks.

Oppressive sweeps can leave a person devastated, and without any possessions. It is happening daily.  Some move way out to the edges of town to avoid all of this, and they eat less often.

Too often, police begin removing property only minutes after (24 hr.notice) postings, sometimes claiming falsely that there is some threat to public safety.

The status quo — this anti-camping law — has thousands of people terribly stressed for lack of any shelter. Stressed people are more likely to get sick, to spread illness, and to commit crimes of desperation. They are less able to get or keep jobs.

The camping ban is a shameful way to treat people who have no shelter options.

A society which forces a homeless multitude to hide is like an arrogant mariner in the path of a hurricane, yet failing to make preparations.

The suffering of thousands of our neighbors caught out in the cold and rain, will inevitably affect each of us.

Ongoing Pleas for the City Council to Act

With record numbers of homeless people living and sleeping on the streets (increasing steadily for almost two years now), the homeless and their advocates had hoped that the City Council would have taken up the camping issue long before the start of the rainy season.

The Council has continued to put the issue off, even while hundreds of complaints of cruelty by police toward the un-sheltered have piled up. The numbers of these complaints have been rising consistently (in step with the size of the homeless population) for over two years .

City Council's Fritz, Adams, Saltzman

The latest round of delays in  efforts to de-criminalize  camping in Portland have been largely due to the efforts of Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and of the Portland Business Alliance. Since the spring of this year,  typical written responses from Fritz’s Office consistently claimed that a delay in considering camping (or other shelter options) was necessary until, “…after the more immediate issue of safe comfortable places to sit downtown during the day has been reviewed.” (Letter from Fritz to GROWS Committee, June 17, 2009). <#21: transcript of approved sender document, available>

The delay of serious discussion at City Council about the need for some legal camping has also been caused in part by an ongoing diversion of media and activists’ attention onto the ‘Sit-Lie’ issue (sidewalk obstruction). This has not always been helpful. The more crucial issue for the health of most homeless people in Portland has little to do with downtown sidewalks.

Most are far more concerned with finding safe, dry places to sleep.  While thousands of  have remained sleepless out-of-doors nightly, the more important camping issue has systematically been given a back burner behind the old Sit-Lie issue.

Proponents of relaxing the anti-camping law have been ignored for years.  This latest round of delays has put camping on hold in favor of ‘Sidewalk Management’ at City Council.  The Oregonian headline of October 22, “Camping Ban Up for Debate,” came out one day after the City’s new ‘Sidewalks Management Plan‘ was given careful, new force of law. The old Sit-Lie prohibition was ruled unconstitutional in June of this year.

The need for legal camping has never been so great.

City Hall protests against the camping ban, May 2008

Efforts to Ease the Camping Ban in 2008 – Why Did They Fail?

For years, concerned local citizens have been asking Portland’s City Council to allow camping for the homeless people otherwise unable to obtain housing or shelter. And for years they have been ignored.

In May 2008, dozens of activists camped outside of City Hall in protest of the camping ban for two weeks before arrests were made.

Among the primary organizers of the 2008 City Hall protests was Art Rios. Patrick Nolen, Israel Bayer and dozens of other activists worked to collect nearly 2000 signatures in a post card campaign against both the anti-camping and sidewalk obstruction laws. These and others activists were advocating not just for camping rights, but also for increased funding for rent assistance. Rent assistance had been shown to be a  more efficient use of taxpayer money than permanent supported housing or other other public spending options for addressing homelessness long-term.

When arrests were made at City Hall, they were based not on any actual violence or obstruction, but on politically-generated fears that this might occur there. By June of 2008, as homeless advocates were re-organizing following those arrests, City officials were alarmed enough enough that they promised to take up the camping issue.

The CCEH then assigned the responsibility of drafting “guidelines for acceptable camping” in Portland to Sisters of the Road, StreetRoots, and a couple of other reputable stakeholders. Note: “Guidelines” are the conditions of place, time, and manner needed for an efficient change in the law. Guidelines are what makes it clear to campers, the public and police what is legal and acceptable camping..

But somehow the “guidelines requirement” were consistently mis-characterized as, “putting the homeless under a microscope.” This had the effect of delaying the process because “input from the homeless themselves” was a requirement for the guidelines’ legitimacy.  If only the homeless people who were supposedly “against guidelines,” had clearly been told that this was a requirement for the legislative process at City Council for the legal change that would allow some camping, they surely would have participated in the surveys to establish guidelines. But it was not explained to them correctly. This was like shooting oneself in the foot in a complicated legal / legislative process.

Had the Guidelines been drafted in 2008, this could have allowed for serious consideration/ modification of the camping law by the City Council last year.

Tragically for many who were forced to winter ’08 without legal shelter, the 2008 effort camping law reform fizzled out by fall, and produced basically nothing.  Disagreement and delay characterized the 2008 meetings among players who are normally easy allies. There was and still is bewilderment over the lost opportunity.

Later it was revealed that pressure from the Portland Business Association (PBA) and the Portland Police Bureau, and certain City Council persons were behind the killing of the effort to allow camping before the start of the 2008 rainy season.

The P.B.A. has exerted huge pressure on Sisters of the Road, StreetRoots and other homeless-helping charities — in the way of donations and continuing promises of support. The P.B.A. also has a huge influence on police actions, and could be the deciding voice in whether long-established charities or other businesses are able to keep their permits, zoned status, or buildings. The Business Alliance does both good and bad in our City. But this ongoing effort to kill, water down, and/or further delay camping law reform in Portland — even while record numbers of newly homeless are suffering — is very, very bad.

Revived Efforts in 2009

Serious efforts at camping ban reform were not revived until after the Oregon Law Center brought suit over the camping ban in December 2008. On the coat tails of the law suit came G.R.O.W.S.‘s humble petitioning effort in May 2009, alongside a continuing accumulation of citizen complaints about police harassment and abuse. The testimony of a dozens of others over the last year at City Council also pled the case ongoing for the human right of shelter.

These developments plus the undeniable presence of more and more homeless people on the streets — all helped to revive the issue of de-criminalizing camping this year.

Taking time off from gardening this spring, G.R.O.W.S. tried to increase  camping discussions at City Hall by conducting a petition drive and survey. Our “Petition for Hassle Free Camping Areas“  very quickly netted about 300 signatures. It was during this process that we realized that the majority of homeless nowadays are newly homeless and looking for work. We delivered copies of the Petition on June 17th to the Portland City Council, and to the City Attorney.

We advised the City Council about the high risks to public health and safety posed by such a large un-sheltered  population. G.R.O.W.S. suspended the petition drive when Commissioner Nick Fish and the CCEH pledged to look seriously at shelter alternatives for those without any shelter.

Additionally, many of those who testified against the Sit-Lie law also begged the Council to allow some legal camping.

Alternatives Workgroup of CCEH

The CCEH’s Alternatives Workgroup began meeting in July 2009. G.R.O.W.S. participated in this summer’s meetings, advocating for camping. We unsuccessfully promoted the idea of organized, larger-scale encampments on public lands (e.g. several ‘dignity villages’ with gardens). We also advocated unsuccessfully for the development of sustainable farms and other local green work-with-shelter programs. The CCEH, however, is not very focused on developing or promoting jobs programs.

Fortunately, the need to camp was the consistent plea of several people at the Alternatives Workgroup table this summer, including Seattle tent cities co-founder Leo Rhodes, who is homeless. Rhodes, who sells ‘StreetRoots’ at the Trader Joe’s location in Hollywood, has consistently pointed to the tent cities of Seattle which have long-established records of good neighborly  relations there. Many of Seattle’s skeptics have been won over as consistently effective self-government at the tent cities has worked to dispel local prejudices against houseless campers.

Camping Guidelines: required, agreed upon conditions for legal camping.

This year, the responsibility of drafting the needed Guidelines for legal camping was given by the CCEH/ Alternatives Workgroup to JOIN and Sisters of the Road (again).  This was asked of them in early August, and many hoped that they could have guidelines drafted and ready as part of Commissioner Fish’s proposal before the start of the current rainy season.

However, at the prodding of Commissioner Amanda Fritz and the Portland Business Alliance, further foot-dragging was committed this year by Sisters of the Road, as represented by Brendan Phillips in this process. Over a period of two months, Phillips consistently reported back to the Alternatives Workgroup that too little survey data had been collected because, “homeless people we have talked to are against guidelines.”

Remember, this was among the tactics which last year caused delay and division among the activists asked to help establish Green Zone camping in 2008. Again Sisters of the Road (Phillips) maintained that homeless people are “not wanting to be under a microscope.”

Sounds noble, but two months went by with little to no progress in drafting a CCEH camping proposal (early August til late September), largely as the result of this misinformation-oriented stance.

Sisters of the Road representatives have continued to communicate regularly with Commissioner Amanda Fritz throughout this process. Together they openly gave first preference to the Sidewalk Management issue, as if dealing with that issue could not have happened simultaneously with the camping issue.

By the putting the ‘camping rights’ issue on a back burner for months now, a thousand people today are wetter, colder, more stressed, and more disillusioned than they might have been had this (still awaited) Camping Proposal gone forward to the City Council in September. Or last year, for that matter.

In this way, the powerful Portland Business Alliance has continued to be largely responsible for the continued suffering of the un-sheltered here in Portland. Again, our shelters are full — turning away hundreds nightly, and these big players are well aware of this.

The persistent efforts of Marc Jolin and JOIN at the CCEH’s Alternatives Workgroup meetings were instrumental in accomplishing the drafting of the needed Guidelines (conditions of place time and manner) for acceptable camping this year. Better late than never! Were it not for Jolin’s work in this process, this year’s efforts to attain conditional camping rights for thousands without shelter might have been delayed even longer — or fizzled out like last year’s efforts.

As it stands, Commissioner Nick Fish has been given a set of Guidelines, and the ball is now in his court as to the timing of a City Council proposal to allow limited camping.

Protests …

City Hall protest in favor of camping rights, Oct. 2009

Beginning in September, orderly overnight protests at City Hall began again, lead by formerly homeless activist Art Rios.

In compliance with the current law, campers have been sleeping there Monday through Friday without tents, using only tarps wrapped around their sleeping bags to stay mostly dry. With everyone packing up and clearing out early each morning in order to avoid upsetting City Council members, their protest has been mild compared with those of 2008.

The current protesters tried to begin carrying their night time protest over into day time hours recently, but were asked to leave by the Mayor. They complied.

Significantly, this year’s City Hall camping protest organizers have required all those participating to sign a ‘Code of Conduct’ requiring non-violence and respect for lawful authority. Organizers also offered a written handout to all who inquired about the protest, explaining that homeless people lack safe places to sleep where they can be free from harassment from police and private police. They have set a great example of how well small camps can govern themselves.

In large part due to a “Gentleperson’s Agreement” worked out between Sisters of the Road, the CCEH and the PPB, under which police agreed to let people sleep between 9 pm and 7 am, the police have so far left the City Hall campers alone.

Police Harassment of the Homeless is an Ongoing Problem

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has not always been so kind to homeless campers generally, however. Reports continue to come in about abrupt 3 a.m. awakenings, and of their being forced to “move on,” even though there is no legal place for them to go within the City.

Again made to move on, without many options.

Police often seize and dispose of the property of homeless citizens. There is an established pattern of Police disposing homeless people’s property rather than offering them opportunities to reclaim their things as required by the law.

A loophole allows this in some instances, but this consistent pattern is illegal, even if the anti-camping law is found to be legal. It indicates that there is a policy of un-Constitutional discrimination against the status of homelessness.

Use of excessive force by Police against lower functioning people is an ongoing problem in Portland.

The majority of Portland police officers are decent people, but there has been an ongoing, top-down tolerance (if not approval) of often vicious police behavior toward the homeless. This is evident in the long pattern of abuses.

In fact there is a growing heap of evidence that we have a few mentally ill PPB officers on the Force, and yet this is apparently not even being discussed by our City Council. Hindering effective discipline for bad police behavior, the current police union contract enables protection of bullies no matter what. Sadly, too many local citizens have come to fear our own Police because of the cruelties of a handful of officers day and night.

While he was doing volunteer work, this homeless man's only belongings were disposed of within an hour of the posting of Notice.

No matter how balanced and helpful we might create our laws to be, injustices will still be suffered especially by poor people, as long as we have our laws being enforced by unstable, power-mongering people.

Truly, we are cultivating despair and often anti-social behavior among the homeless by continuing to employ bullies to enforce our laws. A small minority of unchecked bullying officers can cause a lot of lasting harm.

Cruelties are also being carried out by private security forces, which often act as though they are police. Portland Patrol, Inc. has gained an especially bad reputation for bullying, and the illegal taking of belongings from homeless people. There has been a lack of accountability for their crimes as well, with the City Attorney’s Office generally declining to pursue complaints.

In any case, even the kindest of police officers are operating under a long outdated law — which has thousands of people among us unable to legally shield themselves from the wet and cold, even if in order to sleep.

the numbers of newly homeless are now beyond the reach of Portland's current "End Homelessness" programs

The Camping Ban is Soon Up for Debate

The CCEH Alternatives Workgroup this year placed Sisters of the Road Cafe and JOIN in charge of drafting the Guidelines needed to allow camping. They were asked to draft them in July. They were delivered to Nick Fish at the end of October.

Fish now says that he “hopes” to introduce a reform proposal to the full City Council “before the end of November.’ He may or may not deliver in November, but it’s likely that Portland’s camping ban will soon be up for debate.

One month and three and a half inches of rain into our rainy season, all eyes are now on the City Council.

It’s great that the Portland City Council is spending millions on permanent supported housing for the homeless. Most of it is temporary federal funding. Over the last five years, the CCEH and the Housing Bureau have indeed helped thousands of homeless and “in danger of becoming homeless” people to find inexpensive housing in Portland. Others, though rent assistance programs (again mostly federal money), they have helped to stay in their apartments.  And this is good.

However, some serious waste and perhaps corruption has been reported in this process. For example, nearly two million dollars in funds meant for low income housing units were recently wasted in the South Waterfront development district.  Still, so much has been spent that over the years, the Portland Housing Bureau (which dominates the CCEH) has steadily increased the number of “low-cost” housing units available.

All of the good work of the Housing Bureau and CCEH aside, the fact is that we have a seen serious increase in the numbers of homeless. Because the number of newly homeless people has been growing so fast in this economy, the Housing Bureau/ CCEH’s high-dollar efforts are helping only a small fraction of the homeless population. Long-term planning is good, but short-term compassion is much needed today.

Some camping needs to be allowed.

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish

Under the pressure of the Oregon Law Center’s class action lawsuit over the constitutionality of Portland’s camping ban, and under threat of still more law suits, and in light of an undeniably fast growing number of homeless people throughout the metro, the City Council has at last decided to take up the camping ban issue.

After years of foot-dragging on the issue of camping,  the Portland/ Multnomah County CCEH this summer assembled an ‘Alternatives Workgroup’ to examine temporary options to permanent supported housing.

This summer’s CCEH Workgroup’s alternative sheltering options** are summarized at the CCEH website. Most of these will likely not be recommended to the City Council. **Update Nov.13: the CCEH has deleted the Recommendations summary of the Alternatives Workgroup  from their website. (Readers may write to the GROWS Committee for a copy, or call the CCEH at (503) 823-2391 to demand one)

Based on the ideas of the Alternatives Workgroup, the CCEH has made a series of recommendations to Commissioner Nick Fish, who has pledged to propose some “alternatives for safe, dry places to sleep” to the full City Council in November.

Some Specifics . . .

Upon the recommendation of the CCEH Alternatives Workgroup, Commissioner Nick Fish is planning to propose to the City Council an “easing of the camping ban.” He is also likely to propose other options as to how homeless people can have more safe places to sleep. How the Council will vote will depend in part on how many citizens voice their opinions to them. This issue hopefully will come up by mid-November.

The proposal which Commissioner Fish is planning to present to the Portland City Council will likely include the following elements:

1. Portland would adopt a position similar to that of the city of Eugene’s safe camping program (Eugene City Code, Ch.4.816). This would allow churches, and certain private businesses (depends on how zoned) to legally allow small numbers people sleep on their property either in tents or in cars (perhaps 4 to 6 per site). The proposal may also allow private homeowners to allow camping on their properties.

2. Portland would relax enforcement of the anti-camping law to allow for tents on certain city properties during night time hours, at least during the winter months. Tents pitched on certain Multnomah County properties may also be permitted.

3. Guidelines for proper camping behavior (place, time, and manner restrictions) will be made public so that the rules are clear to campers, citizens and police.

Readers can watch for when the Camping proposal (and other issues) will come up on the City Council’s Agenda by checking the City Auditor’s Page at

http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=26979

and there click on “Current Council Agenda” and/or “Upcoming Agenda Items.”

If that which is outlined above is what Commissioner Fish does propose for legal camping, it would be a step in the right direction.  This proposal would, however, present some shortcomings.

Possible drawbacks are discussed below (see, “Will Fish’s Proposal Require that People ‘Pack Up and Move On’ Daily — Even in the Rain?”)

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Other helpful changes might be proposed also.

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a tow means a loss of shelter for hundreds in Portland each year

Leniency for Car Dwellers?

Hundreds in the Portland Metro areai – even whole familes – are now car camping. Among the good ideas which might soon be proposed at City Council is the proposal for leniency toward expired vehicle tags whenever the vehicle is clearly being used as shelter.

It is very common for the unemployed and houseless to be short of money when their plate tags expire.

Requesting leniency would be a very practical way to help hundreds of people for whom their car has become the last safe place to sleep and store possessions. They need a break!

The costs to society of more people (upon losing their car to a tow) ending up on the street is much greater than any forgone DMV/DEQ revenue which might result from a policy of leniency.

The proposal for leniency for car dwellers has been given a “maybe” by the CCEH, and it is not clear whether the County Council will discuss it. Tell them your opinion!

Vacant Lands, Idle Buildings?

Another good idea which was discussed but not followed up on sufficiently by the CCEH is the idea of using vacant public buildings. There are many around the City. Some have been idle for a few weeks, others for years.

dozens of large public buildings, held vacant for years

This idea of using vacant buildings was favored by a strong majority of stakeholders in attendance at CCEH meetings this summer.

As of their public meeting of October 21, the CCEH staff claimed that they have been unable to identify and secure any vacant public buildings appropriate for temporarily sheltering local homeless citizens.

More humane than merely allowing camping, this idea of utilizing mothballed public buildings to give shelter to the those nightly turned away by shelters seems unlikely to advance to City Council this fall.

Use of idle public lands and buildings for the sheltering of our vulnerable neighbors is something we all have a right to demand. It would be a humane and efficient use of public resources, given the potential ‘return‘ in terms of improved health, safety, and potential productivity of the housed citizens.

Work-plus-Shelter Programs?

Another good idea not given serious enough consideration by the CCEH was the idea of work-with-shelter programs on public lands. Whether of the G.R.O.W.S. model variety, or something more urban, the idea of local governments directly offering sustainable/green, part-time work and training opportunities to the homeless remains an option. More than  half those in attendance at the Sept. 16 CCEH meeting openly supported the ‘green work-with-shelter’ concept. (More about this work-plus-shelter approach is written about throughout his website)

Note: A great resource for ideas about county and/or city sponsored work-with-shelter programs around the country is the National Association of Counties in Washington, DC.

Tent Cities?

Another good idea from the CCEH Alternatives Workgroup include the development of tent cities or Dignity-Village-like encampments. Such encampments or ‘tent cities’ could be established through consent decrees between the city and a reputable charity or church. Seattle’s tent cities are remarkably efficient, and well self-governing. Tent cities would likely be the most inexpensive of all the good ideas talked about by the CCEH Alternatives Workgroup. It has been given an elusive “maybe” by the CCEH higher ups.

Storage Areas for Belongings of the Homeless?

One of the most difficult things about being homeless is not having any secure place to store possessions. A change of clothes, some canned food, a can opener, a few photos of loved ones, a blanket, a pillow. Leaving them to go look for work means losing them, time after time. Often it is the police who take their things, sometimes another homeless person. This is why we so often see tired people with shopping carts, and weighted down by bags.

One very practical proposal put forth at the Alternatives Workgroup of the CCEH is the idea of storage space with lockable cages or boxes where homeless people can leave their belongings while they look for work, or travel to services.

Among the most practical places where this could take place inexpensively is the expansive area of ODOT and city properties underneath the (mile-long) I-405 freeway onramp to the Fremont Bridge. These properties have the immediate advantage of being relatively dry and sheltered because of the massive structure.

The proposal for storage areas for homeless people’s belongings was given a “maybe” by the CCEH, and seems unlikely to happen this winter.

Use of Existing Outdoor ‘Dry’ Spaces?

This NW 18th and Savier site was where early Dignity Village campers wintered for a a few weeks in 2001. The City made a point of fencing it off.

It has also been proposed again and again that the homeless be allowed to sleep during the winter months beneath these massive on-ramp structures.

These areas are non-retail, non-residential, and within a walking distance of the charitable dining halls of the City Center. Much of this stretch of dry land is either not being used, or is sadly under-used.

With winter closing in, this idea was dismissed by the CCEH this fall.

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We are hopeful that Nick Fish will promote these left-out ideas, when modifying the camping law. Too many people are suffering.

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even if it rains, covering oneself with a tarp or tent is currently illegal

Now that the camping ban is up for debate, the question becomes whether the upcoming proposal to ease the camping ban, if passed by the City Council, will be effective in helping large numbers of un-sheltered people to have enough safe, dry places to sleep?

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We hope so, but questions remain.

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An ‘easing of the camping ban’ . . .

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Will Fish’s (long awaited) Proposal Require that People Sleeping On Public Lands “Pack Up and Move On” Every Morning – Even in the Rain?

We of course hope that Commissioner Fish is successful in easing the camping ban, no matter what.

However, we are concerned that campers will be forced to pack up each morning — too often in the rain. Early reports are that the proposal which Fish is considering making to “allow camping on certain city properties” would require campers to pack up each morning and clear out.

good time to pack it up?

The problem with this idea is obviously that when it is raining, campers will get wet while packing up. And most of them will stay wet, because there is a serious lack of day warming centers.

Many of these people will have no where to go to become dry.

Camping on Certain City or County Properties Should Be Allowed for Longer Periods.

Not everyone who is homeless is likely to find a church or a business which will allow them to camp on their property. The rest will be forced to camp on city or other public properties. Merely allowing camping overnight is a formula for keeping people wet during these rainy months.

Staying wet and sleeping wet does not allow for deep sleep. Waking up shivering is hard on body and mind. Generally it only takes a few weeks of sleep deprivation before signs of mental illness can begin setting in. We must give people a chance to sleep well if they are ever going to get their lives back on track.

Shouldn’t we allow people to keep their tents up – at least on certain city or county lands – if it is pouring rain in the morning? We believe that this “morning rain exception” should be part of the new camping rules.

We believe that camping on church and private properties should be permitted on an ongoing basis in order for people to remain dry. It should depend on the weather. If it’s raining, let’s allow them to keep their tents up in order to stay dry.

Legal Camping Would Mean More Indoor Shelter Availability for those Most Vulnerable

Increasingly this is a triage situation. Women and children, the battered and abused, the elderly and people with disabilities could more easily be given first priority at the official shelters (now beyond capacity) which offer basic services. Note: this would be likely a side effect (though not necessarily the intention) of legalizing some camping.

a homeless mother

An easing of the camping ban could allow more healthy adults to sleep safely out-of-doors, freeing up precious few official shelter spaces and resources for those more vulnerable. A triage approach is inevitable with such large numbers of vulnerable citizens un-sheltered.

As in Seattle and Eugene…

Local Churches and Charities Can Play a Simple, Key Role.

The City Council proposal will specifically allow churches to permit camping on their property, including parking in their lots. Hundreds in Portland now living/ sleeping in their cars are technically “camping illegally.” This proposal will likely allow a small number of campers per church.

St. Francis Church in SE Portland

Church lead efforts in Seattle, and across the U.S. where limited camping is allowed, have made a big difference in this effort to get people out of the rain.  A church may choose to take campers under wing — helping them with basic needs, employment, etc., or could simply allow them to camp with no amenities offered. Either way, it would be a great kindness for the homeless.

Many first time homeless lack tents. Many have had their tents  taken by police. Donation drives are needed for tents and other camping equipment for individuals as well as families.

Facilitating low-cost camping would be a major help, and a key role which  churches play in giving comfort to those otherwise un-sheltered. The fact is, our local governments — as much as they may spend on rent vouchers and shelters — are likely not going to buy or collect tents or other practical camping equipment for the homeless.

Drawbacks of the Fish Proposal:  only a few campers per church.

Because the proposal of Commissioner Fish to the City Council will likely be to allow only “a few” car or tent campers (perhaps 3 or 4) per church site, MANY more churches will need to get involved in order to help even a fraction of those currently experiencing homelessness. The numbers of un-sheltered are in the thousands locally.

Coordination among the churches will therefore be very important. Which begs the question, why has there not yet been a larger, more vocal council of churches in Multnomah County?

Washington County churches have come together for ‘summits’ twice in the last two years. Through their increased coordination,  they have greatly increased the help they provide.

It is unclear whether and when the churches of Portland’s east side will form such a broad working group on homelessness issues. It does not appear to be about to happen any time soon.

The latest word from the CCEH higher up’s concerning the Faith Summit proposed at the Alternatives Workgroup meetings is that it is “Not Achievable in the Next Six Months.” The CCEH states that this may be “pursued by Commissioners in the spring.”

This is an unfortunate position to have taken.  A lot of preventable suffering can happen between now and the spring.

The churches of Portland’s east and north neighborhoods would serve Christ well to organize a summit(s)  around homelessness issues sooner rather than later. Perhaps it would be best to do so without the government being involved in organizing it. The need for improved coordination among the churches is immediate and serious. A summit would help improved coordination to happen sooner.

Expansion of the ‘Day Break’ Shelter Network

There is currently an effort to expand the Multnomah County Day Break Shelter Network. Helping whole families to come indoors and be helped with basic needs, the Day Break system is yet in need of participation by more churches to be more effective. County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury is currently championing an effort to bring more churches on board. Ms. Kafoury recently wrote to Joe Anybody’s Blog about this effort.

Some Churches Are Already Allowing Camping

Quietly, some Portland churches are already allowing people (unofficially) to camp on their grounds. The rain has increased suffering greatly.

Allowing tents and cars on church grounds could alleviate a lot of suffering each night. Some churches have received many requests to camp on church property, others have received none. Better coordination is still needed to maximize the role churches in Portland can play.

Will enough church leaders make efforts to coordinate limited camping in their empty side yards and parking lots – for those otherwise un-sheltered?

Please let’s  strive for treasure in heaven in this way. If each church that could do so – would do so, we’d go a long way toward protecting public health and public safety, and fulfill the promise of Matthew 25:40 in our own congregations.

Other Laws Affecting a Church’s Rights in Helping the Homeless

As you know, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects churches’ rights to worship free from interference from government. There is also a specific federal law called RLIUPA, which stands for the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Passed in 2000, this law is intended to protect the rights of people who want to use their property for religious purposes when zoning laws would prevent such uses.

If a church wanted to offer its grounds to the homeless for camping, while local laws would otherwise prevent such Christian help, RLIUPA might allow a church the freedom to do so. This is how the churches of Seattle have been able to help so many people – despite zoning and other local city laws which would have prevented them from helping the poor. The following links offer more information about RLIUPA:
http://www.justice.gov/crt/housing/housing_rluipa.php
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org//rel_liberty/free_exercise/topic.aspx?topic=religious_buildings
http://www.harvardlawreview.org/issues/120/june07/notes/religious_land_use.pdf
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20020130_storzer.html

The Good News is…

Hopefully in November, the City Council will likely make it possible in Portland for churches, certain businesses (depends on how zoned), and possibly private residence owners to allow camping on their property. This is good news!

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The Emergency Declaration Option

Alternatively, An Emergency Declaration May Be Called For in Portland

There are yet a whole lot of  if’s, maybe’s, and uncertainties about the relief steps being proposed at City Hall, including the new camping proposal.

If the proposed steps do not effectively alleviate the suffering of enough un-sheltered people,  then we believe that the Mayor should declare a public emergency.

It need not be the Red Cross, but more warming shelters are badly needed.

This would allow for County, State and maybe federal resources to become more readily available, and would remove bureaucratic hurdles to allow quicker contracting and implementation of emergency relief plans. The Portland law concerning emergency declarations and powers can be seen here at PortlandOnline.com.

The economy has become a disaster for a quarter million unemployed Oregonians, and is already an (officially undeclared) emergency for thousands among us.

If an emergency were declared, we would then see quick, economical, large-scale help for thousands otherwise languishing. Right away we could see efficient services delivery, immediate availability of shelter tents otherwise sitting mothballed, and the building of basic pavilions (or large tents) with utilities that could be used in common among campers.

Red Cross, national guard and other volunteers could be organized, just as when there are natural disasters. State and federal disaster assistance funding might also be made available.

Sound extreme? Wake up! Oregon is NUMBER ONE in the U.S. in per capita homelessness. If any state would qualify for disaster relief, ours would. This is unprecedented suffering among us here, and this is called for.

We believe that we are already in the midst of an undeclared public emergency in the Portland metro. Whatever the cost of emergency response, it will bare a good return in terms of protecting public health and safety.

Remember in the news last year – when the house in an affluent west side neighborhood slid down a hillside? The City of Portland was quick to declare an official Emergency.

That did indeed allow for a faster, more effective response – it’s true. Can’t blame them for wanting that. Apparently though, thousands of poor people out in the rain day and night just don’t matter as much as a few expensive houses to our City government.

Declaring an emergency streamlines otherwise time-consuming procedures in city contracting and other laws, allows for rapid response, and makes it easier to get help from the County and the State. It is also a very ‘high profile‘ thing to do — not likely to immediately attract more foreign business investment.

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15.04.040 Declaration of State of Emergency.
(Amended by Ordinance Nos. 178616 and 181352, effective October 10, 2007.)
A. A state of emergency exists when:
1. The situation requires a coordinated response beyond that which occurs routinely;
2. The required response is not achievable solely with the added resources acquired through mutual aid or cooperative assistance agreements; and
3. The Mayor or other City official, as provided in Portland City Code Section 15.08.010, has declared that a state of emergency or disaster exists by proclamation.

The pertinent definition of “Disaster”is described as follows, as found at:
City Code Ch. 3.124.010 :
A. * * *
B. “Disaster” means an occurrence or threat of imminent widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property regardless of cause which in the determination of the Mayor or designated public official, causes or will cause significant damage as to warrant disaster assistance from outside City resources to supplement the efforts and available resources of the City to alleviate the damage, loss, hardship or suffering caused.

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An emergency can be declared for many conceivable reasons.  As described above, we’re already in the midst of a situation which cries out for an emergency declaration and disaster relief. Sam Adams and other City government government officials have the power to make an emergency declaration for the sake of thousands without shelter. So far, they have chosen not to do so.

Declaring an emergency would  perhaps stain the reputation of Portland as “The Jewel of the Pacific Rim.” It might make our City leaders look bad in the eyes of the nation. Or maybe Sam does not want to go out on a limb and be the first U.S. mayor to do so for the sake of something so “economic.”  Given the numbers of un-sheltered people locally, and the growing threats to public health and safety, it would be a wise and courageous thing to do.

Efficient compassion is possible.

We believe that a court of proper jurisdiction, if presented with enough chilling evidence, would issue a writ of mandamus ordering the Mayor to declare an emergency.  If not so granted, why shouldn’t we begin looking to the County, or to the State, or to FEMA, or to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees? Sound extreme? Conditions on the ground do indeed call for such measures.

Recently a United Nations official toured the U.S., and concluded that the official policies of our governments toward the the homeless are cruel. In forcing them to hide, and by hiding the problem, the problem grows worse, says Raquel Rolnik, Special UN investigator for housing issues. Interestingly, the U.N.’s findings were released on November 9,  yet had apparently not been reported on by any of the five largest U.S. media companies as of Nov. 13th.

Yes, Portland is getting to be a candidate for FEMA or U.N. relief. But of course, local solutions would be best. This is a crisis that the City of Portland and Multnomah County, in cooperation with other area cities and counties, with State help, can take care of locally.  We just need the political will to do so.

Public health and public safety are increasingly at risk. Their suffering will somehow affect the well being of each of us. It is in the public interest that we facilitate development of emergency camps — or at least to allow them to pitch their own tents this winter.

Since most of these newly homeless are “ready-to-work” people, the cost of camps need not be as high. They can be asked to help build and maintain their own camps. Most would gladly participate if it meant food and shelter.

What Will it Take for Our Leaders to recognize the Unfolding Emergency?

A lingering pandemic, or what?  If there were a natural disaster locally, say a major earthquake, which suddenly threw 10,000 people in the Portland Metro area out of their homes, we would know that this was a public emergency. The Mayor and the Governor would both quickly declare it as such, and reach out for organized disaster relief assistance on a large scale.

hidden homelessness

Yet when as many people are turned out of their homes and apartments over the course of two years by the worst economic downturn since the Depression, our Mayor and his business-as-usual colleagues tout their past accomplishments, and direct those who complain that more effective measures are needed to  Commissioner Nick Fish and the Coordinating Committee to End Homelessness (CCEH).

the true cost of so many people sleeping outdoors is difficult to measure

This is like a prescribing a band-aid for a gushing arterial wound. Or more aptly, it’s like recommending a team and a game plan which is capable of slowly helping hundreds of people — at a time when immediately helping thousands of un-sheltered people is what is badly needed.

A local activist recently wrote for the umpteenth time to Commissioner Fritz. She asked Fritz to consider advocating for a Mayoral declaration of a public emergency, so that relief could come quickly to the thousands of local citizens now caught in the rain without options. Commissioner Fritz, a well educated woman, wrote back saying,  . “The Mayor does not have authority to declare a state of emergency.  Besides, the real cause of so many people needing housing that the City cannot supply, is that the federal and state support has diminished over the last eight years.” <#35: transcript of approved sender document, available>

This is clearly incorrect. But whatever. This kind of run-around (and deflection of responsibility) is standard operating procedure for the Council when it comes to the growing local disaster of epidemic homelessness. They all like to keep saying it’s Nick Fish’s and the CCEH’s problem.

(artist Terrence Nowicki, Jr.)

We believe strongly that, as things are, the CCEH is not in fact the right tool or agency for creating ground-up economic development (e.g. sustainable county farms with shelter). We have tried. The CCEH so far does not seem interested in work and training programs generally — even for the sake of promoting self-support, which is therapeutic. The CCEH is also not inclined to  developing lower-cost, larger-scale shelter programs — which is unfortunate since lower cost options are needed if we are to afford helping thousands of people quickly.

So we have begun hoping that the County is awake enough to know how badly this approach is needed.

The Bigger Picture:

We Need Locally-Initiated, Ground-Up Economic Development.

Why not employ more public resources locally to jump start ground-up economic development — by developing programs which help the un-sheltered to take care of themselves in working communities. Use public buildings for this, and public lands! Free up moth-balled state, county and city property — there are plenty of resources, if not actual funds (yet).

We keep reading comments posted in various local newspapers and on Blogs which have been sent in by cold-hearted people who insist in broad generalities that, “the homeless are all outside by choice,” or “because of their bad choices, or “they should get jobs.” Uneducated, superior-minded commentators like to have easy excuses for inaction, or worse, they like to kick a person when they’re down.

Again, there are record numbers of homeless among us now, and Oregon has a higher percentage of homeless than any other state. MOST of them today are working class, high functioning, honest people. There are just too few jobs.

Homelessness is up by 70% over last two years in most Oregon counties. We are told to expect a jobless recovery, so how can we expect this situation to improve without some ground-up economic development? We need the old fashioned, public works-focused, labor intensive kind of economic development. If the federal government won’t do it, we can do it ourselves locally.

Please check out our Blog Post here entitled, “As Economy Worsens, County-Administered Poor Farms… Again a Good Idea.” It’s our Septmeber Archive. “Poor farms” is an outdated term, we know. But historically, this is how civilized people have usually managed to help un-sheltered and hungry masses during lean times.  Throughout U.S. history up until the 1950′s, LOCAL governments allowed people to simply subsist on idle public lands (and to be self-governing to the extent they are able). This is what has worked.

Modernly, there are many economical, green ‘work-with-shelter communities‘ already operating successfully in the U.S.  Though many model programs have been pointed out to the CCEH, none that we know of are yet under serious consideration by Commissioner Nick Fish’s Office or the Portland City Council. Please write to them and demand that the City consider developing efficient, compassionate ‘work-with-shelter’ programs.

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Back to the camping issue immediately at hand . . .

Another ‘Dignity Village’ Is a Good Idea. Several Better-Run Encampments Would Be Even Better.

entrance at Dignity Village

Imagine a Dignity Village with a work shop, a garden, and a decent central kitchen/bath/laundry facility. Additionally, imagine a vocational training emphasis, part time work, an income stream, and reduced dependency on donations. Imagine the pride among them as they work toward greater self-support. Now imagine several such well-governed communities. It is legally possible for the City of Portland to immediately establish an additional “transitional housing” community. See, ORS Chapter 446.265 (5). The public costs of housing people at Dignity Village is actually much lower than the cost of housing them through the traditional “permanent supported housing” approach (e.g., TPI or Central City Concern apartments).

Multnomah County's CROPS Program acreage, Troutdale

For example, the City of Portland and Multnomah County could designate an emergency campground on the 44 (+) acres of good public land which surrounds the new CROPS Program acreage near Troutdale.  If well organized, this ground could accommodate perhaps 200 people. The County/City could go on to allow well-organized campers to farm and to have a workshop on site. Properly supervised, they could help build their own simple shelters. Some part time effort toward self-support wold help people’s self-esteem, while keeping down the costs of such an endeavor.

Once given shelter, they could be trained for local public works projects — forming mobile crews for landscaping or invasive species removal, etc. They could be trained to operate a small business. Many homeless people would be glad to help support themselves and their families by working part time for room, board, and even just occasional stipends. Facilitating self-support on public lands would be affordable even on our limited local budgets.

Many other Multnomah County and/or City parcels of land could also be suitable as an emergency campgrounds. Proximity to mass transit would be needed. We believe that local governments should treat the situation like the disaster that it is, and begin providing disaster-relief type services. Then add work and training opportunities as you go, and we’ll see some real progress.

While we in the U.S. spend half a trillion dollars a year on weapons systems, can we not find enough money locally to set up basic camps for our our own fellow citizens? Use of local public lands and resources would make this possible, with or without much federal money.

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Back to the camping issue immediately at hand …

As the economy moves toward a jobless recovery, and as homeless advocates and government officials in Portland admit that there are not nearly enough jobs or shelter spaces, we need to at least allow people to camp.

This, locally, is among the most important human rights issues of our time.

The Portland City Council will soon begin debating the question of whether to set aside enforcement of the anti-camping law. Around the country, record numbers of newly homeless people are asking for work and shelter. Most advocates agree it’s about time we allowed the 10,000 (+) homeless people out in the rain in the Portland metro to at least have the legal option of being able to pitch tents. Hopefully, other cities in the Metro area will follow Portland’s lead by relaxing their own camping laws — for the sake of their local homeless neighbors.

Please contact our City Council people before they vote

(Update: still dragging their feet as of December 2nd…)

Be yourself and TELL them how you feel.

Please encourage them to think about the dangers of keeping homelessness hidden. Insist on a new policy that allows people to camp, and to stay dry every morning. Encourage them to allow ongoing camping in as many out-of-the-way places as are needed for the huge number of people outside. Encourage them to cooperate at all levels of government toward (re)building a local social safety net. Tell them you’re a registered voter.

And most of all, don’t tell them “GROWS sent you,”   ‘cuz they really can’t stand us for telling you the truth about now.

Thanks for reading.

Trying to muster peace through justice,

The G.R.O.W.S. Committee
Portland, Oregon

GROWS.committee@gmail.com

TRYING TO FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION in PORTLAND . . .

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Addresses, Phone numbers, and e-mails of Our Portland City Council:

Mayor Sam Adams
(has authority to allow a tent city, and to declare an emergency)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 340
Portland, OR 97204
(503)823-4120
samadams@ci.portland.or.us

Commissioner Nick Fish
(in charge of Housing, and the “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness”)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 240
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 823-3589
nick@ci.portland.or.us

Commissioner Amanda Fritz
(helps administer CLEAN/SAFE and Sidewalk Management Programs)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 220
Portland, OR 97204
(503)823-3008
amanda@ci.portland.or.us

Commissioner Randy Leonard
(in charge of Public Safety)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 210, 97204
(503)823-4682
rleonard@ci.portland.or.us

Commissioner Dan Saltzman
(in charge of Police, Public Relations)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 230
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 823-4151
dan@ci.portland.or.us

Readers can watch for when the Camping proposal (and other issues) will come up on the City Council’s Agenda by checking the City Auditor’s Page at
http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=26979 . Click on “Current Council Agenda” and/or “Upcoming Agenda Items.”

Note: Since the CCEH (i.e. Commissioner Nick Fish) has removed the Recommendations of the Alternatives Workgroup from their Portlandonline.com website, G.R.O.W.S. will be happy to send a copy of that Report to anyone who e-mails us.

there are thousands of honest, ready-to-work, first-time homeless people

Fall is here already, and the rainy season is just around the corner. Well over 120,000 people are now unemployed in the Portland metro area. Statewide the number is over 243,000.

Unemployment benefits are expiring for Oregonians at the rate of about 500 households per month. Many of these working class people will end up on the streets within a few months afterward, many of them with families in tow.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/oregon_job_losses_resume_rate.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/unemployment_running_out_for_t.html

A higher percentage of Oregonians are now without shelter than in any other U.S. state.

The best current estimates are that at least 7000 and as many as 10,000 people here in the Portland metro area now have no place to call home. Most are long-time Portlanders. There are at least as many more (20,000 +) with precarious or temporary of these are accommodations.

The number of officially homeless people statewide is by now well over 20,000, at least half of which are children. Again, this number is at least  doubled if you count those whose housing is only temporary/ short term.  Many reputable social workers and social scientists insist that these numbers, as high as they are, badly understate the problem.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125372886764109100

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=124728849233200700

http://endhomelessnesswa.org/news/270/hud_homeless_data_likely_understates_the_problem–national_law_center_on_ho

A Jobless Recovery is Forecast, and Systemic Problems are Severe

Many seem convinced that federal stimulus spending will “get our economy moving again.”  No doubt, that is helping, but it will not be enough. According to the best economists, because of the risks of hyperinflation, federal stimulus funding will be inadequate to create anywhere near enough jobs for the nearly quarter of a million Oregonians who are now unemployed. Nationally, our systemic problems are serious.

While the economy may begin looking better for some, economic forecasters generally agree that we should expect a jobless recovery at best. Experts are also forecasting that Social Security will go into the red next year, adding further to the national debt.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/05/bernanke_jobless_recovery_loom.html

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113253815&sc=17&f=1001

Therefore, we believe that we must try to economically (re-) establish a local social ‘safety net’ for our poorer neighbors.

A local social ‘safety net’ sounds unaffordable unless you realize that most of our newly homeless neighbors are quite capable of working and caring for themselves. We just need to facilitate this for a large number of people. Our local governments can do this – if only they will cooperate sufficiently.

Most of the newly homeless have good work histories. Most would gladly work if work were offered.

After conducting about 400 interviews with homeless individuals in Portland since March of this year, the G.R.O.W.S. Committee has compiled informal data which suggests that a majority of the people who are homeless today in the Portland area are newly homeless, and seeking work.  The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is that of the newly homeless.

The working class are taking it on the chin in this economic downturn. There are simply too few jobs to go around, and the ‘average’ homeless person today is someone who until recently had been working. Most of them are high-functioning, honest, but lacking options.

Many thousands more are yet “just one paycheck away from the streets.”

There are many more homeless among us than meet the eye. Many do their best to stay clean, and to NOT appear homeless.

Most of the homeless try to remain out of public view, because Portland’s ordinances prohibit camping in the city, even for those with no place to go.

Many of the newly homeless sleep in their cars, some in garages, others under bridges, or in doorways. Many are in the woods.

Tens of thousands more are drifting from couch to couch, hoping that family, friends or lovers will continue to be supportive.

For Thousands, the “Choice” to Stay in the City is a Matter of Eating Today or Not

Most of these people do not know how to find food outside of the city’s charitable meal programs, so they are reluctant to travel too far out. It is a matter of eating or not. Yet currently they literally have no right to pitch a tent (or place a covering over themselves) while they sleep anywhere within the City limits.

This anti-camping law is now under legal challenge by the Oregon Law Center, but a ruling is still many months away.

http://www.portlandonline.com/Auditor/index.cfm?&a=15431&c=28513

http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/judge-considers-petition-to-dismiss-lawsuit-challenging-portland%E2%80%99s-anti-camping-ordinance/

Public health and safety are increasingly at risk.

With such a large and fast growing homeless population locally, there inevitably comes a growing likelihood of crime and disease in the general population. Public health and safety are increasingly at risk. Epidemics are more likely to happen, and to linger.

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The suffering of seven to ten thousand people caught out in the rain day and night will surely affect the well being of each of us.

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When the rainy season begins, there will be unprecedented suffering among us here in the Portland metro. 

This is a growing emergency.

The G.R.O.W.S. Committee has therefore come to believe that our local governments must act as soon as possible to establish local work and training programs with on-site shelter. Time is not on our side in this.

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2009/07/surge_in_spending_cant_keep_up.html

http://www.amsa.org/programs/gpit/homeless.cfm

http://www.taacf.org/about-TB-background.htm

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/09/17/ottawa-swine-flu-homeless-shelters.html

Thousands of newly homeless people are either not qualified for government housing assistance, or languishing on two-year-long waiting lists.

The current approach of local government is to focus primarily on ending ‘chronic‘ homelessness. For most of those helped, there is little to no emphasis on work programs or self-support. Many are low functioning and this is understandable. The Coordinating Committee to End Homelessness (CCEH) is charged with carrying out the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.

The stated mission of the CCEH is to help end chronic homelessness. This is a good idea because elements within this population are responsible for a disproportionately high amount of police calls and emergency medical treatment.

http://www.portlandonline.com/phb/index.cfm?c=30140

http://www.co.washington.or.us/Housing/10-year-plan-to-end-homelessness.cfm

http://www.co.clackamas.or.us/socialservices/#

However, this approach – focusing primarily on the chronically homeless – is limited in its effectiveness, in that a shrinking percentage of homeless people are being helped in today’s economy.  This approach is also very expensive, involving H.U.D. funding and program requirements tying most housing assistance to ongoing case management.

Those who are not mentally ill, nor addicted, nor pregnant, nor in need of protection from a spouse, nor low-functioning, nor otherwise prone to chronic homelessness  are generally turned away or de-prioritized. Housing assistance waiting lists are at least two years long. Many higher functioning individuals desperately misrepresent their circumstances to qualify as ‘chronic’ or high risk — in order to be moved up on the lists.

Shelters are also forced to turn people away on a daily basis, especially during the rainy season. There are too few shelter spaces.  There are too many people being turned away.

http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/the-legality-of-homelessness/

It’s time for local governments to re-double their efforts, and focus especially on work programs which also offer shelter.

“We were dealing with mostly chronically homeless . . . While we were working on it (the Plan to End Homelessness), the world has changed.”

- Roger Nyquist, Linn County Commissioner

The mission which has been given to our local government to help the homeless must somehow be re-focused or expanded to include the newly homeless as well.

Their needs are simpler. Most are simply asking for work so that they can again support themselves. The economy is not offering them much hope, and subsidized housing or shelter options are few.

We strongly recommend that the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners take effective action as soon as possible. Among the possible logical options are:

A) to expand and bolster our CCEH so that its mission will include helping to develop work programs with shelter for larger numbers of the working-class poor,  AND

B) to set up a task force within the Mayor’s Office whose focus would be to significantly increase coordination with other metro area county and municipal governments on homelessness issues, AND

C) to develop more effective public-private partnerships for the specific purpose of giving both shelter and work/training to those who are willing to work, AND

D) to allow camping for the homeless on designated public lands as soon as possible, where tents need not be taken down daily.

It would be good if all of the city councils and county boards of commissioners across the metro area would do much the same thing.  Since Portland has the biggest influence in this mess, Portland’s city leaders should lead the way. If our elected officials are serious about protecting public health and safety (i.e., true to their oaths), they will remain open to this conversation until effective action has been taken.

The State of Oregon has its own agency for helping to end homelessness, called “The Ending Homelessness Advisory Council.” This June the State adopted its own “Ten Year Plan.” It gives money to various city and county agencies which address homelessness, and calls for greater coordination among the various county committees to end homelessness.

See, http://www.ehac.oregon.gov/ .

Work + shelter = the most productive workers.

Efforts are being made to begin staffing Oregon Workforce Development offices with ‘life coaches’ who will specifically try to get homeless people working. This sounds great, but unless shelter is a part of the deal, this will not make for the best results. It has been established that giving a homeless person a job without also offering them shelter often results in the loss of that job in a short amount of time.

it's hard to perform well at work when...

For most, it is too difficult to perform well in a job while un-sheltered because of all of the stressing factors – from sleep loss, to bad hygiene, to chronic colds, to low self-esteem.  For someone who is flat broke, it can take many weeks or months to save up enough money to get an apartment.

Therefore, new work or training programs for the homeless should always involve at least some opportunity for affordable, basic shelter as well.

Otherwise, government efforts to place the homeless in work assignments will be less effective, and may lend themselves to exploitation by for-profit employers.

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Why Not Work With Housing?

Reports have come to us that over the last few months, several homeless individuals who have received citations for offenses related to their poverty (failure to pay fines, etc.) have been complying with the courts by performing community service at the new C.R.O.P.S. acreage near Troutdale. This is the new County program started by Commissioner Jeff Cogen which grows produce for direct donation to the Food Bank.

http://www.commissionercogen.com/2009/05/creating_a_coun.html

C.R.O.P.S. is a great idea and a needed program. But think about this a moment: a homeless person makes their way by bus out to the County gardening program which is aimed at helping the poor, and works all day on the same grounds that were once our County ‘poor farm’ – within view of the same former Multnomah County Home building (the old poor farm’s residence hall, now a McMenamins luxury inn), which a couple of generations ago would have provided housing for un-sheltered people just like him.

the C.R.O.P.S. acreage, September 2009

http://www.handsonportland.org/AboutUs/index.php/courtorderedvolunteering.html

At the end of his work day, our community service worker gets back on the bus (without pay) and goes back into town where he has to sleep in some bushes in a park, so that he can wake up the next day and have breakfast at a nearby soup kitchen. Then he’s off again to the C.R.O.P.S. program by bus, so he can stay in good standing with the law.

There’s something wrong with this situation. C.R.O.P.S. is a good program. But we must say to you, Mr. Cogen: let’s expand the program concept now, and add shelter for the workers who need it! This would be an even better way to help our poorer neighbors locally.

As our economy worsens for working people, county ‘poor farms’ would again make good sense.

G.R.O.W.S.‘ interview data shows that a majority of the those experiencing homelessness today in Portland, if offered the opportunity, would gladly work in community gardens or on sustainable farms in order to help maintain their room and board on site. This is true of most of the newly homeless, and of a near majority of chronically homeless individuals interviewed. Especially if basic medical care could also be provided as needed, this would be a very kind alternative to life on the streets.

The term ‘poor farm’ has a stigma attached to it today. Most poor farms were phased out after WWII, as our economy boomed and welfare programs of every kind were implemented. But those welfare programs have since been significantly reduced or phased out, and the economy now has serious long-term systemic problems. We are told to expect a jobless recovery at best.

It is time to shed that stigma. It is time to let homeless individuals decide for themselves if they are willing to put up with the “shame” of living on a ‘poor farm’ –  in exchange for the dignity of shelter and self-support. Most we’ve talked to say they don’t care what it’s called as long as it means shelter!

Poor farm in Kansas, circa 1925

Local farm work programs were administered by county governments all across the U.S. for two centuries, most up until the 1950′s, in order to address chronic poverty.

Historically, county poor farms have worked well. Compassionate, responsible local governments economically saw to the needs of their poorest citizens in this way.

main residence of the 'poor farm' in Josephine County -- Grants Pass, Oregon, circa 1930

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In fact, for many centuries, going back to the Commons of England, the surest and most efficient way to help those poorer members of a society during an economic downturn – those who otherwise had nowhere to turn — was to allow them to work the land, and to subsist.

Multnomah County poor farm's main residence hall housed 300 people

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=3&id=56

http://vancouverfood.net/2009/04/clark_county_old_poor_farm_78th_street.html

Today, most of us have become so urbanized that we have largely forgotten our agricultural roots. We are all nonetheless an agricultural people, even if one has never even gardened.

With proper teaching and supervision anyone can learn a simple, more earthy, cooperative approach. This is what we must try to do if we are to help jump start local economic development. Helping thousands of local people to better help themselves — this can again help all of us through these dark economic times.

Remembering What Has Worked . . .

After much research, the G.R.O.W.S. Committee believes strongly that direct involvement by local governments — something similar to the old county-administered ‘poor farms’ approach — is badly needed again these days. Our local governments can and should make this happen.  Charities and churches – even with government funding help – are having an increasingly difficult time, and are unable to keep up.

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Sustainability should be central to such farms. Low ecological impact should be the goal of every such community. Improved health and self-support would be the goals, rather than maximum  productivity.

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What’s Working Elsewhere?

To our knowledge, there are as yet no farming/ training / housing communities which are directly administered by local government in the U.S.  If our local governments were to develop and administer such programs here, we would be leading the way. As well we should, seeing as how we in Oregon do currently have the highest percentage of homelessness (and third highest unemployment rate) in the whole country!

Several charities around the U.S., some with government aid, are already running highly successful farm projects which benefit the poor with food , shelter, and training.  One of the best of these programs works has long worked closely with local government. Check out The Farm at Long Island Shelter, administered by the ‘Friends of Boston’s Homeless.’ Since 1987 this organization has been helping to house, educate and transition thousands of (formerly) homeless people toward self-support. This program works closely with the Boston Public Health Commission and the  City of Boston’s Emergency Shelter Commission. See, http://www.fobh.org/the-farm–long-island

Another well run sustainable farming community for the poor is the Homeless Garden Project of Santa Cruz, CA. Residents there tend to love the place. Over the last 18 years, they have helped hundreds to leave the streets and learn valuable skills in farming, nutrition, carpentry, etc.  See, http://www.homelessgardenproject.org/

Yet another well run, therapeutic farm program has been set up in New Hampshire specifically for homeless veterans. Veterans Victory Farm began in 2004. With the help of great case workers working alongside them, healing in a rural work setting has come to hundreds of otherwise difficult-to-help people. Endorsed by the The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, this working farm is highly therapeutic. See, http://www.nchv.org/page.cfm?id=171

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Returning To Simpler Economy

County administered poor farms have worked well for centuries. Call them something other than ‘poor farms’ of course. These days it isn’t quite accurate anyway, since we would place more emphasis on education and a new green economy. 

“Green work and training communities” would be a more appropriate term, or perhaps  just “sustainable farms with housing.” Whatever you call such programs, this is quite achievable and definitely in the public interest.

Increased inter-governmental cooperation is needed. Low cost, sustainability, and green skills training are to be emphasized.

If such sustainable farms are established on lands now held idle by our local governments, and if we employ experts from local colleges along with volunteers from local charities and the broader community, modern day ‘poor farms’ can be established at very low cost, and with high returns in terms of improved public health and public safety.

With low-cost on-site housing (e.g. straw bale, earth bag or other low cost construction), and a big emphasis on skills training for a new green economy, a modern day ‘poor farm’ would more closely resemble a eco-vocational community college.

Resident-workers could learn valuable skills as they work. After being certified in various skill sets, they will be in a better position to (re-) enter the mainstream job market.

http://www.pdx.edu/elp/learning-gardens-laboratory

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/metro/organic-gardening

http://ww2.whidbey.net/jameslux/sbweb.htm

If other micro-business ventures were introduced to well-functioning ‘poor farm communities,’ a community might then become able to pay modest stipends or wages to its resident-workers.  For example,  government could develop public-private partnerships for the manufacture of picnic tables, or even for solar panel assembly. In cooperation with other government agencies, mobile crews could be trained up for invasive-species-removal crews or landscaping.

Revenues so generated might then go toward the development of additional ‘poor farm’ communities as needed, or be considered a return on the investment of local governments.

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We believe that in this way, our local city and county governments could provide part time work for as many as 20,000 people, with as many on-site shelter spaces, in the next five years.

Such an approach need not require any more than part-time hours of resident-workers — perhaps 10 to 20 hours per week —  for residents at a well-managed farm to simply maintain their room and board. Basic medical services might also be provided locally, with primary emphasis on teaching/ encouraging basic prevention  (nutrition, exercise), and first aid.

Green ‘Skills Certification’ emphasis

Opportunities should also be offered for resident-workers to earn various skills certifications while they work. Master gardening, food processing, nutrition, first aid, carpentry, facility maintenance, or forestry might be among the practical certifications offered. This could involve supervision by staff or graduate students from participating colleges or Universities.

Such learning and certification might involve more work hours for residents than the 10 to 20 hours per week minimum asked of them for room and board.  But in this way, ‘graduation’ from these work/training communities back into the mainstream economy can be facilitated.

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Real dignity comes through opportunities for self-support.

Such opportunities for self support might be offered to as many citizens as are willing to work. As the numbers of un-sheltered citizens grows, it is increasingly in the public interest that our local leaders consider such programs as soon as possible.

Given the scale of this economic downturn, government is increasingly the only ‘stakeholder’ at the table which is big enough to effectively help so many un-sheltered local citizens.

Handouts are good, but work and green training opportunities are better! In addition to helping to grow their own healthy foods, (often lacking among the homeless), formerly homeless participants could also help to build their own shelters in these modern ‘green work/training communities.’ This has already been done to some degree at Dignity Village (which is as yet far from self-reliant). The better examples are elsewhere, mostly in California, and across the U.S. at charitably-established sustainable farms. Efficient, economic development focused compassion is a good idea in any state, especially here now.

Bring in local experts (especially volunteers) in architecture, permaculture, health, and home economics to teach and supervise, and this can be done within our limited public budgets. Certification in master gardening, food processing, carpentry, and first aid might be among the training opportunities offered to resident-workers.

We encourage you to do your own research. We believe that you will come to the same conclusions that we have. Since allocated federal stimulus money will not be sufficient to create enough jobs, the economic recovery (when it comes) will be largely a ‘jobless’ one.

Under our current government-as-usual approach, hard-working charities and local churches are simply unable to keep up with this fast growing emergency. It is stressful for all. Let’s provide opportunities for people to work toward self-support. Let’s consider trying that which has worked for centuries.

Please take some action, as time is not on our side in this growing emergency.

Being without a home is so stressful that many of the newly homeless who are now ‘high-functioning,’ given enough time on the streets, may well end up in that awful ‘chronically homeless’ category. The wider costs of sickness and crime are increasing with each day. Time is not on our side while homelessness is fast increasing. With an unprecedented number of homeless people among us in Portland, our long cold rainy season is just around the corner.

Let your voices be heard! In addition to giving to local charities with programs which help the poor, please take it upon yourself to write letters to your local newspapers. Most of all, please contact your local leaders! Let’s tell them to think more simply and with greater foresight.  The voices of more people are needed, and will surely help, even if you are brief. Let’s all stay informed so that we can help to educate our local leaders, and/or choose more highly adaptive ones.

At the very least, we ask that each reader please take the time to somehow further this conversation among friends. The public emergency now unfolding among us will not be solved without much discussion in favor of green work and other self-support opportunities for the homeless.

Peace and thanks for reading,

The G.R.O.W.S. Committee

GROWS.committee@gmail.com

TRYING TO FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION in OREGON . . .

a California tent city

“Tent cities” and temporary emergency encampments are quickly becoming a necessity in cities all over the U.S.  Around our country, emergency camping is being legalized in designated, sometimes supervised urban areas – both urban and rural.

Allowing camping locally can give immediate stress relief for thousands who are otherwise unable to get a full night’s sleep anywhere.It has proven out generally that such encampments function best if with smaller populations, and when provided with basic support from local government — i.e. porta-potties, trash receptacles, a clean water supply, and compassionate, minimal policing.

Seattle has three well-governed tent cities

Tent cities are a only quick fix to alleviate immediate suffering.  Nonetheless, for now we do need to allow for tent cities here in the Portland metro.  Local government agencies which address homelessness (the CCEH’s, and the Housing Bureaus) have been doing a steady, sure job of increasing local shelter and housing inventories. 

However, the numbers of newly homeless have very quickly gotten way beyond their reach.

Federal aid for housing etc. is forecast to fall  in coming years, even while the numbers of homeless are expected to rise greatly. Oregon is now ranked as the worst state in the U.S. in terms of homelessness as a percentage of overall population! We have at least 9000 un-sheltered people currently in the Portland metro area.

See, http://www.ohcs.oregon.gov/OHCS/RA_2008_Poverty_Reports.shtml

and http://www.estacadanews.com/news/story.php?story_id=124728849233200700

We must develop local solutions. The rapid increase in homelessness is fast making for a public emergency in Portland, Oregon.

The longer term goals of The GROWS Committee are to encourage local leaders to work toward developing lots of green work programs, decent low-cost shelters, and therapeutic communities for those experiencing homelessness. Basic, affordable economic development is needed to help people lift themselves out of  poverty.

With or without jobs, the ongoing inability of some 9000 (+) locals to acquire shelter (not even being allowed to pitch their own tents legally anywhere in the City) does indeed pose a grave and immediate threat to public health and safety.

Bold and well-coordinated action is needed soon in order to effectively check the unfolding of many and various public emergencies. We are hopeful, that our elected leaders — at the helm in these perilous times — will take their oaths to protect public health and safety very seriously.

We are hopeful that our elected leaders will better recognize soon that there is now unfolding a fast increasing likelihood of serious epidemics and crime waves in our City due to this unchecked crisis of so many among us without simple shelter.

The shelter issue in particular needs effective action before the start of the rainy season this year.

wet sleeping bags

For Portland City leaders to refuse to allow homeless people the right to  put up simple shelter anywhere in the City is bad.

To continue to deny record numbers of un-sheltered people any right to legally pitch a tent after the rainy season begins – would be worse than bad.   It would be cruel.

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While our City continues to do a sure, steady job of building or acquiring more long term, traditional low income housing,  we can in the meantime provide very inexpensive transitional housing or shelter – simply by allowing well-governed tent cites or other low-impact encampments.

The tent cities of Seattle have become proficient at self-policing. Their residents don’t want illegal activities happening any more than the neighbors do. Self-policing in cooperation with local authorities, treatment programs, and health officials has worked out well enough in Seattle.

Or if we would allow our fellow human beings something better than tents in the rainy season,  imagine ten or twenty better-operated ‘Dignity Villages,’ each with small hut-like homes, a common pavilion, and the basics of water supply, latrines, and trash receptacles at minimum. This can be so very inexpensive.

Allowing people to do so on designated lands, in do-no-harm ways, is not a new idea.  It is in our instincts to live so during times of economic depression.  Our local governments simply need to begin better facilitating this – out of economic necessity, if not out of respect for the basic human needs of our poorer neighbors.

What those experiencing  homelessness need is the same as what each reader needs:  a safe place of privacy where they can sleep, tend to their health, enjoy down-time,  and store a few things while they figure out where to find work in this declining economy.

Each person living out-of-doors needs immediate relief from the ongoing stress of constantly being told to “move on.”  To believe otherwise is cruel. Therefore each a person should at least have a right to pitch or build their own simple shelter – if in the locally prescribed “proper place, time, and manner,” as regulated by local governments.

Shelter should be a right in every U.S. city!

In California the debate has gone on and on, but they have a more realistic grasp of the real financial numbers coming down already there, and they have in many ways facilitated temporary shelter programs and tent cities.

See, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090622/ehrenreich?rel=emailNation

Recognized or not,

shelter IS a human right.

Whether or not our local leaders or police recognize this, other authorities say this is so. Here in progressive Portland we understand that shelter should be a human right. Let them build their own, at least – in designated places!

Some would say that the our homeless neighbors  are “capitalism’s refugees.” Some well-traveled folks I know say that we are creating a sort of “caste system” here with our shaming and our laws against poverty.

Even the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees would have to give Portland low marks for its criminal treatment of the homeless, and especially for the taking of their few possessions in ‘sweeps’ by both police and private security services acting under the color of law.

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Portland’s Only Legal Encampment, Population 55 (out of 10,000)

Here in Portland, out near NE 33rd and Marine Drive — sited between a huge compost operation and a prison, right at the end of the #73 bus line — is Portland’s only legal encampment on public lands.  Dignity Village began as a protest encampment, and they have moved a few times before landing with City approval at their current site. D.Village is now a non-profit with a population of just under sixty people, and its population is currently capped at sixty.

Dignity Village practices ‘self-government.’ At last check, their Council meets every Wednesday at 6 pm, on site. The Village requires residents to pay $20 per month to help keep up the Village’s insurance, and they require each resident to perform a minimum of ten hours of work weekly – to maintain their site and its common spaces. Currently D. Village also manages operation of three micro-businesses: a City-approved food vending cart (operated at Parks, events), a small garden nursery business, and an “e-bay store” on site — all of which help them toward self-support.

They are well short of the ability to maintain themselves without ongoing donations or grants, however. That community has gone through a lot, and offers many lessons both about how and how not to develop. Some corruption is still reported among the leadership there. But like any community practicing self-government, things tend to get better with more participation. There is enthusiasm there at their council meetings.

Dignity Village, as imperfect as it may be, is helpful as a transitional housing site for Portland, and residents enjoy some dignified housing and some excellent programs there. This is a much less expensive way to house homeless people than the ‘permanent supported’ single-resident-occupancy housing approach. More poepl who are now on the streets could be housed if there were many more D.V.-like projects.

See their site at, http://www.dignityvillage.org/content/

There are, however, still well over nine thousand people among us locally with no place to find legal shelter within the City!

Many without housing wish they could get into Dignity Village, but “getting in” there is not easy. Insiders there report having to turn away campers on a regular basis.

In the coming years, Portland will surely need more than one ‘temporary encampment’ to care for its growing homeless population.

This will require planning and ongoing cooperation by our local governments and  charitable service providers. Thousands of additional shelter spaces are immediately  needed. The City would also do well to make sure that new leadership at such encampments are clean and sober. Addiction problems at Dignity Village are persistent  and serious.

What’s Working Elsewhere?

Check out Seattle’s ‘SHARE/ WHEEL’

SHARE/ WHEEL is an organization made up primarily of homeless (and formerly homeless) individuals, which advocates for their needs. They have helped in the development of each of Seattle’s tent cities, and sees to it that additional shelter is available to people during the worst of weather. See, http://www.sharewheel.org/Home

Legalizing some camping in Portland will surely help the overall crisis here, as it has elsewhere in the U.S. With a large number of otherwise unsheltered people camping legally outdoors, then the various well-established shelter programs now operating in the City could more easily give ‘indoors-with-services’ priorities to women with children and to people with disabilities.  Increasingly, this is a triage situation here in Portland. 

WHERE to locate the ‘tent cities’ or other emergency encampments in the Portland metro?

Keep in mind that many of the services offered for poor people, as well as possible jobs, tend to be available mostly in the City.

Therefore,  it would be best that those un-sheltered people who are working in the City (or who are actively looking for work in the City) should be allowed to stay in temporary shelter or encampments near to the City Center.

Real Dignity Comes Through Self-Support!

It would be inefficient, and not as kind, of our government if they would allow homeless encampments only at the far outskirts of Portland.

In the long run, ‘tent cites’ are not a solution. But if managed properly, they can offer immediate, temporary relief to thousands of otherwise un-sheltered people who are too often unable to get a good, safe night’s sleep.

Seattle homeless building a tent city - photo by C. Blethen, 'The Seattle Times'

Encampments for the homeless already function well in many U.S. cities. Even when located near residential areas in Seattle, it has been shown there that crime has not gone up in those neighborhoods near the homeless encampments.

The residents themselves of Seattle’s tent cites have long practiced a highly cooperative ‘self policing’ method – which, in cooperation with area  police, effectively excludes active violent criminals  from THEIR tent community.  With the help of local treatment programs and community oversight/support, this has worked well in many cities. It can be a way to quickly give the dignity of shelter to many people otherwise without options.

Poverty is NOT a crime!

Temporary ‘tent cities’ are being permitted in many large cities already, so why is it that Portland’s Laws still have us shewing away our huddled masses, knowing full well most of them have nowhere good to go?

We should not be ashamed of poverty here in Portland. It is everywhere growing in the U.S. – and you know that there but for the grace of God go any of us. It’s good karma to help the homeless – especially if you help them to help themselves in some well-governed way.

We believe that each responsible, housed and employed citizen should be thinking about lowering their personal consumption levels anyway, given the times we’re in. Since simplicity is good, then perhaps so is poverty!

In any case, economic development locally can be greatly enhanced by developing efficient ‘tent cities with services’ – as one more tool in the toolkit of our evolving local “social safety net.”

Since thousands are without shelter among us locally, we would do well to allow encampments here in Portland – before the rainy season begins!

We must demand that our local leaders take the lead in this.

We must not let them tout past accomplishments while they continue to coast along with the high-dollar-low-results status quo.

Time is not on our side.

The scale of the crisis is too large for private and charitable intervention alone.

Let’s have faith in our abilities as citizens to advance this serious discussion.

Please write or call your local leaders.

We should also be talking with our County and State leaders as well — throughout the Metro region.  For contact info. re/ our elected officials, and ideas about how to talk with local leaders , see this Blog’s  ‘Recent Letters’ page, or go to  http://www.portlandonline.com/ for the names and addresses of Portland City officials.

Peace & thanks for reading.

– The G.R.O.W.S. Committee
(for Green Residential Oregon Work Sites)
GROWS.committee@gmail.com

TRYING TO FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION in OREGON . . .

Oregon now ranks first in the U.S. in per capita homelessness.

Economic Development With Lots of Green Jobs Badly Needed Locally.

Statewide there were over 17,000 homeless people on a given night in January 2009 — up 37% from the 2008 statewide count.

Oregon now ranks FIRST in the U.S. for per capita homelessness. A higher percentage of us locally are without shelter than in any other U.S. state. Maybe its the lovely winter. Whatever it is, there is unprecedented suffering among us these days.

See, http://www.ohcs.oregon.gov/OHCS/DO/COM/docs/2009NewsReleases/09-05-29-NewsRelease.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i6aLnEDu2w

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103522588 ;

and  http://www.portlandonline.com/fish/index.cfm?a=254884

Of the 17,000 identified as without shelter in January, it is estimated that at least half this number is in the Portland metro area.  Many of these un-sheltered people are newly homeless families with children. Many have good work histories up until recently – the start of this modern Depression. The trend is clearly for fewer jobs available each month, while the un-sheltered population grows. Twice this number of people are in if-y temporary housing and without shelter periodically.

These cold numbers amount to unprecedented misery among us. The sleeplessness, fear and uncertainty experienced by the homeless can lead to debilitating despair or desperation, which lead to higher (and costlier) rates of crime, domestic abuse, and health problems of every kind.

Thousands now homeless among us currently have no right to legally sleep anywhere in the City, while our system of official shelters and temporary housing can at best accommodate only a fraction of these sleepless people. Note, Dignity Village is currently the only legal encampment allowed by our City leaders, and can accommodate only about 60 people.  The other 5000 + must all literally hide in order to sleep – in order to be kept from being harassed (or assaulted), and told to, “Move on!” This is a dangerous situation – especially for the growing number of women sleeping outdoors.

This is a growing emergency.

.

What can we do

to help this situation,

with a focus

on the long term?

.

.

Lots of green JOBS and SHELTER spaces are badly needed, soon!

Our rainy season begins in about 60 Days…

We must insist that our City leaders wake up about the true numbers — not allowing them to be in denial about the real SCOPE of this suffering, nor the gathering momentum of this trend!

The newly homeless is a diverse population. Most of them are ready and willing to work – if there were adequate economic development to create jobs.

Portland’s “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness” is focused primarily on helping the chronically homeless.  So what about those who are newly homeless – those who want to get back to work, but can’t find a job? The federal stimulus money which has been sent to our state and local governments does NOT seem to be creating many jobs for those in need so far.  The Portland Tribune has recently pointed this out at http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=124829885004116300

Imagining Win-Win, Cooperative Economic Development

Portland could, in cooperation with local counties and our State Legislature, consider creating ‘green economic development zones,’ wherein formerly un-sheltered local citizens could live, work, train, and eventually ‘graduate’ with new green economy-focused skills.

In cooperation with highly accredited local colleges or Universities,  willing workers could be given opportunities to become certified in a wide range of useful green skills. There would need to be various kinds of green work communities.

Sustainable farming communities could be developed to affordably house and employ (at least part time) thousands of local citizens who currently have no means of self-support.  Such communities could also have workshops, where resident workers could manufacture items to be sold by their community, or to be used directly in the improvement of their community (or other sustainable communities).

Among us URBAN-dwellers, this ‘farm-like’ approach may seem a bit foreign or old fashioned. The fact remains that we are still very much agricultural creatures. We would do well to re-learn this, and re-teach it.

The fact is — re-creating something like the old Multnomah County Home would be a very efficient and compassionate approach to the current crisis of growing homelessness. (aka: one of our local ‘poor farms’ of the Great Depression era)

Multnomah County Home, the main residence hall for our old 'poor farm' (now McMenamins Edgefield) efficiently housed up to 350 people.

We would need to create several housing/green-work programs locally in order to accommodate even half of the 17,000 (+) who are now homeless statewide.

The duty of providing opportunities for self-support for our otherwise un-sheltered neighbors must fall to our local governments,  because charities are having a hard time keeping up with the fast growing numbers. Among the many charities locally which are doing the best they can to give food and/or shelter, few of them have the resources to be creating many jobs.

Green jobs created by the County/ Cities could be as cheap as strawbales, some hardware, gardening tools/ supplies,  some goats or chickens — provided along with occasional medical help and some agricultural training on dedicated public lands (suitable for agriculture) now held idle by our local governments and the state. This providence by our local governments would be in addition to, of course, and not in lieu of the good work ongoing of our local charities and churches.

wise cost-benefit analysis must include externalities

The human costs of inaction in this economy are already unacceptably high. The suffering of the un-sheltered will inevitably affect each of us.

Whatever the start-up costs for programs aimed at greater self-reliance for those without shelter, the cost can be justified when weighed against the (terribly undermentioned) ‘external costs’ of unchecked rising crime, and public health emergencies of every kind!

Besides just farming . . .

Besides sustainable agriculture, modern day ‘green work/training communities’ could also take on such economic development endeavors as solar panel assembly, woodworking, fisheries management, wetlands restoration, removal of invasive species or trail maintenance in our local parks, the operation of vending carts, operating a cafe, etc. etc.

For resident-workers who want to commit to educational programs, a well-governed community should offer educational certification in various work-skill sets. They would be able to train and get certified in the work they learn to do.

Residents at the old Mult.County poor farm worked part time hours (perhaps 15/week) for room and board.

There should be emphases  on ‘old-fashioned’ methods of  self-reliance, as well as on the emerging needs of our modern green economy.  A modern day ‘poor farm’ would more closely resemble a vocational or community college with on-site transitional housing, and with basic medical provided.  Other services could be offered as needed, depending on the population.

Re-establishing a localized “safety net” for our fast growing un-sheltered multitude means we should have all options under consideration.

Where are our City and county leaders in this? We need something like the old ‘poor farms’ again, and soon.  We should look at all options — that’s all we’re saying here.

There are plenty of idle public lands which might be used to help employ and house the poor.

New jobs are few, and traditional housing is becoming less and less affordable for thousands more people every month lately.  Currently, the City of Portland and the four counties of the metro area are trying to determine urban growth boundaries and rural preserves — as part of their longer term ‘comprehensive planning’ for our Metro area.

See, http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=277

and see, http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=42793&a=171174

satellite photo of n.w. Oregon, and s.w. Wash. (click to enlarge)

This would be a very good time to be asking the City/ Metro planners to consider setting aside some public lands for the purpose of facilitating formation of green-work/training-focused communities for the  homeless.

Properly planned, we could develop low-cost encampments on public lands which are largely self-supporting — provide immediate opportunities for green work, green training, nutritious food, and housing for people too poor to afford these currently.

Thinking ‘outside the box’ of traditionally expensive  H.U.D./Portland Housing Bureau expensive definitions of “housing,” we can and should be facilitating alternative housing options — including straw bale, earth bag, cord and cob construction. Using these less traditional methods, we can stay within our limited public budgets, while providing housing for far more people who would otherwise languish on impossibly long ‘housing waiting lists.’ Properly built, such alternatives are strong and clean, and best of all, affordable. Note: there is growing support for such alternatives locally.

See e.g., http://www.recodeoregon.net/index.php?title=Main_Page

http://cityrepair.org/ ;  http://www.thedirt.org/ppg

There are also thousands of students at Portland State University, Oregon State University, and colleges around the State who are keenly focused on systemic change. These and other forces of change are looking at the status quo and the forces of resistance in Portland, and wondering how to come together more effectively.

There are also thousands locally who would be willing to volunteer to help teach the homeless how to garden, or how to improve their diets, or how to build and maintain their own high quality shelters, or how to otherwise help themselves. This gigantic volunteer pool is simply awaiting BOLD leadership from our elected leaders.

Please write, call or visit our local elected officials to encourage them to think more about  efficiently COMBINING programs — such as gardening projects which could offer green work and training along with housing, and good nutrition.

See this Blog’s ‘Recent Letters’ Page for contact information for our local leaders. Tell them, ‘Opportunities for self reliance make for real dignity!’

promoting the dignity of self-support

Please contact your elected leaders!

Peace and thanks for reading,

– The G.R.O.W.S. Committee

(Green Residential Oregon Work Sites)

GROWS.committee@gmail.com

TRYING TO FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION in OREGON . . .

Addresses and Phone Numbers for our City and County Leaders:

Our Portland City Council:

Mayor Sam Adams
(has authority to allow additional tent cities)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 340
Portland, OR 97204
(503)823-4120

Commissioner Nick Fish
(in charge of Housing, and the “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness”)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 240
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 823-3589

Commissioner Amanda Fritz
(helps administer CLEAN/SAFE Program)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 220
Portland, OR 97204
(503)823-3008

Commissioner Randy Leonard
(in charge of Public Safety)
Position Number 4
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 210, 97204
(503)823-4682

Commissioner Dan Saltzman
(in charge of Police, Public Relations)
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 230
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 823-4151

The Multnomah County Commissioners:

see, http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/cc/

The Washington County Commissioners:

http://www.co.washington.or.us/BOC/

The Clackamas County Commissioners:

http://www.clackamas.us/bcc/

Our Metro Council:

see, http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=28